Tree service contract template
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Between
Customer name
Scope of work
Describe exactly what is included — and what is not.
Price and payment
Total: $0.00
Deposit (50%): $0.00 before work begins
Balance: $0.00 on completion
Terms
Payment
A deposit is due before work begins. The balance is due on completion. Invoices unpaid after 14 days may carry a late fee of 1.5% per month.
Changes to the work
Anything outside the scope above is a change order, priced and agreed in writing before that work starts. Verbal changes are not binding on either of us.
Access
The client agrees to provide access to the property, water and power where needed, on the agreed dates. If we cannot access the site on a scheduled day, a return visit may be charged.
Weather and delays
Work may be rescheduled for weather or conditions that make it unsafe or would affect quality. We will give as much notice as we can. Neither party is liable for delays outside their control.
Existing condition
We are not responsible for pre-existing damage or for defects revealed by the work. Where we find something unexpected, we will stop and tell you before continuing.
Insurance
The contractor carries liability insurance and will provide a certificate on request.
Cancellation
Either party may cancel in writing before work begins. Deposits cover materials already ordered and scheduling held for you, and may be non-refundable to that extent.
This is a starting point written for small home service work, not legal advice. Contract law varies by state, and some states require specific notices, licence numbers or cancellation language on residential contracts. Have a local attorney read it once before you use it for everything.
Identify each tree precisely
This is not pedantry. Crews have removed the wrong tree, and it is the one mistake in this trade that cannot be undone.
Tree 1 — Silver maple, approx. 60ft, rear left corner adjacent to the shed. Full removal to ground level. Tree 2 — Norway spruce, approx. 25ft, front boundary near the mailbox. Crown reduction of approximately 25%, no topping.
Photograph each one and reference the photographs. Ten minutes on site prevents the worst outcome available to you.
Say what happens to the wood
Every option here is a different job at a different price, and customers assume whichever one suits them:
Hauled away entirely. Chipped and removed. Chipped and left on site. Logs cut to firewood length and stacked. Brush removed, logs left.
Name one.
The stump is its own line
Customers assume removal includes the stump. It usually does not, because grinding needs different equipment and often a separate visit.
State it: included, ground to X inches below grade, with backfill or without — or excluded and priced separately at $X. Never leave it unsaid.
Property protection and access
State how you will protect lawn, driveway and paving, that ruts and turf damage in the working area are possible in wet conditions, and that you will make good to a stated standard. Getting a chipper and a truck onto a property leaves marks, and the honest version in advance is far better than the argument afterwards.
Insurance on the document
Tree work carries the highest property damage exposure of any trade here. Put your liability certificate details on the contract. It converts your biggest perceived risk into a reason to hire you.
Quoting and scheduling crews
Tree work is crew-heavy, weather-dependent and photograph-driven.
Jobber at $49/mo plus $29 per seat handles multi-day crew jobs and reschedules a weather day in a few taps. Housecall Pro includes five seats at $189/mo, which matters in a trade that runs three or four people per job, and its photo reports are the most structured of the three. QuoteIQ at $29.99/mo lets a solo arborist check access on satellite imagery before driving out to quote.
Questions operators actually ask
What should a tree service contract include?
Each tree identified specifically, exactly what is being done to it, what happens to the wood and debris, whether the stump is included, property protection and access, your insurance details, and permit responsibility. Tree identification and stump inclusion cause more disputes than price does.
How should I identify the trees?
By species, approximate size and location — 'the large silver maple at the rear left corner, approximately 60ft'. Photographs attached are better still. 'Remove two trees' is how a contractor ends up removing the wrong one, which is not a recoverable mistake.
Is stump grinding included by default?
It should never be ambiguous. State it as included at a stated depth, or excluded and priced separately. Customers overwhelmingly assume removal includes the stump, and the discovery that it does not is the most common complaint in this trade.
What about the wood and debris?
Say exactly what happens: hauled away, chipped and removed, logs left cut to length, or chips left on site. Each is a different amount of work and a different price, and every one of them is what somebody assumed.
Do I need to show insurance on the contract?
Yes. Tree work has the highest property damage exposure of any trade on this site, and customers who have been advised to check will check. Certificate details on the document remove that hurdle before it is raised.