A tree bid looks like one line, cut the tree, but the total is set by how the crew gets in, how big the tree is and how close it sits to the house, what happens to the wood, and whether someone has to pull a permit first. Two quotes can be far apart and still be fair, because they may be pricing different jobs. Here is what moves the number and what to check on each bid so you can compare them.

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Access decides the labor

Ask whether a truck can reach the tree. A driveway or side yard that lets the equipment park close makes the work faster. A back yard behind a fence or a narrow gate means limbs get carried or lowered by hand, which takes more hours. Ask each company how they plan to get equipment and crew to the tree, and whether anyone has seen the yard in person. A bid written over the phone often misses this.

Size, lean, and distance from the house

A tall tree close to the roof, a deck, or a fence is slower to take down because the crew cuts it in small sections and lowers each one with ropes. A leaning trunk adds the same kind of work. Ask whether the bid is for full removal, limb removal, or crown reduction, since those are three different jobs. Ask whether any part of the tree touches a utility line. If it does, the utility company handles the line, not the tree crew, and the bid should say so.

What happens to the wood and the stump

Hauling, chipping, and grinding are often separate lines. One company may cut and haul the logs away while another leaves them in the yard. Stump grinding is frequently priced apart from removal. For each bid, write down: cutting, limb pickup, chipping, hauling the wood away, stump grinding, and cleanup of sawdust. If a bid says cleanup is included, ask what that means for the lawn and the driveway.

Permits and the city or county

Some local governments require a permit before a certain tree is removed, and work near a street or sidewalk can need its own approval. Ask each company whether they have checked the rules for your address and who would pull the permit. Do not assume the company has done this. The Local help page on this site points you to the offices that answer these questions.

Timing and storms

A tree that has already come down onto a roof or fence is an urgent job, and urgent work is priced differently from a planned cut. If the tree is dying or leaning but still standing, you usually have time to get several bids and let the crews fit it into their schedules. Ask whether the price changes if the job has to be booked in a hurry.

How to compare two bids

Put the bids side by side on the same list of tasks. Mark any task that appears on one bid but not the other. Ask each company what they will do if they find a hollow trunk or a limb larger than expected once the work starts, whether the price can change, and who signs off on that change. Then settle the family questions: who approves the work, who pays, and who is at the house when the crew arrives. Those three names matter as much as the number.