Most tree services in Milford, MI will tell you they’re licensed and insured. It’s the first thing on our website, the first thing we say on the phone. The problem is, that phrase means almost nothing on its own — because Michigan doesn’t issue a single “tree service license” you can look up and verify. What “licensed” actually means varies wildly from one company to the next, and homeowners who don’t know what to ask are left guessing. These five questions cut through that. Ask them before anyone touches a tree on your property.
Tree Assessment: What It Should Include Before Any Work Begins
Before we quote you a price, we evaluate the tree in person. Not over the phone, not from a photo you texted us — on-site, with eyes on the actual tree, the surrounding structures, and the ground conditions underneath it.
A proper tree assessment looks at the tree’s structural integrity, signs of disease or decay, root stability, and proximity to power lines, fences, and your home. It’s also how a credentialed arborist determines whether removal is actually necessary or whether targeted pruning could solve the problem. If a company skips this step and sends you a number without visiting, that’s your first signal to keep looking.
Question 1: Can You Show Me Proof of Insurance — Sent Directly from Your Insurer?
This is the single most important question you can ask, and the answer has to be specific. You’re not looking for a verbal “yes, we’re insured.” You want a Certificate of Insurance — a COI — sent directly from the insurance company, not forwarded from our own files.
Here’s why that distinction matters. Certificates can be altered. A crew that’s had coverage lapse can still hand you a document that looks legitimate. When the COI comes directly from the insurer, you know it’s current and accurate.
What you need to see on that certificate: general liability coverage and workers’ compensation. Both. General liability covers damage to your property if something goes wrong — a branch through your fence, a tree that lands somewhere it shouldn’t. Workers’ compensation is the one most homeowners overlook. Tree work has a fatality rate of approximately 110 per 100,000 workers, which is roughly 33 times the national average across all industries. Workers’ comp is expensive for tree companies to carry for exactly that reason. When a company skips it, they can offer you a lower bid — but if a worker gets hurt on your property, you can be held liable as the de facto employer. Some homeowner’s insurance policies will decline coverage entirely in that situation.
A company that hesitates to provide a COI directly from their insurer isn’t hiding paperwork. They’re hiding a gap in coverage. Move on.
Question 2: Are Your Arborists ISA Certified — and Can I Verify That?
In Michigan, there’s no state-issued arborist license. The recognized professional standard is ISA Certified Arborist status — a credential issued by the International Society of Arboriculture that requires a minimum of three years of full-time arboriculture experience, a 200-question exam with a 76% minimum passing score, and 30 continuing education units every three years to stay current. It covers tree biology, pruning standards, disease diagnosis, risk assessment, and safety practices.
The reason this matters for you as a homeowner is straightforward: a certified arborist knows how to assess a tree correctly, prune it without causing long-term damage, and identify hazards that an untrained eye would miss entirely. Improper pruning — cuts made in the wrong place, at the wrong angle, removing too much canopy — can structurally weaken a tree and create a hazard that wasn’t there before the crew arrived.
The credential is verifiable. The ISA maintains a public database at TreesAreGood.org where you can confirm whether our arborists are currently certified. If a company claims ISA certification but their name doesn’t appear there, that tells you something.
In Milford, MI specifically, this credential becomes even more relevant for trees near power lines. Work within 10 feet of energized lines requires line-clearance certification under OSHA standards — a separate, specialized designation that goes beyond standard ISA certification. Given how densely developed much of Milford, MI is, from the older neighborhoods in Bloomfield Hills and Birmingham to the suburban lots in Farmington Hills and Troy, power line proximity is a factor on a large percentage of residential jobs. Ask specifically whether the crew is line-clearance certified, not just ISA certified.
Tree Contractors License in Michigan: What It Actually Means
When homeowners search for a “tree contractors license,” they’re usually trying to figure out what credentials a legitimate company should have. The honest answer is that Michigan doesn’t issue a single license for tree contractors the way some states do. What “fully licensed” actually means here is a combination of things: ISA certification, a valid business registration, any municipal permits or registrations required by the specific city or township where the work is happening, and — for work near utility lines — utility-specific credentials.
Some Milford, MI municipalities require permits before tree removal can begin, and some require the contractor to hold specific registrations to legally perform that work. A company that doesn’t hold those registrations may not be able to pull a permit at all, which can create problems for you as the property owner down the line.
Question 3: Do You Have All Required Permits and Municipal Registrations for This Job?
This question trips up a surprising number of homeowners because they assume the tree company handles permitting automatically. Sometimes we do. Sometimes we don’t — and if unpermitted work gets flagged after the fact, the liability lands on the property owner, not the contractor.
Different municipalities across Milford, MI have different requirements. What’s required in Milford, MI may differ from what’s required in Farmington Hills, Troy, or Waterford. A tree company that works regularly across the county should know which municipalities require permits, which require contractor registrations, and how to handle that process on your behalf. If they look surprised when you ask, that’s worth noting.
Permit requirements also exist for a reason. They protect neighboring properties, ensure work meets local safety codes, and create a record that the job was done by a registered contractor. For homeowners with high-value properties — and Milford, MI has plenty of them, with mature tree canopies overhanging homes where a single large removal is a significant undertaking — that paper trail matters.
A legitimate company won’t bristle at this question. We’ll be able to tell you exactly what’s required for your specific address and confirm we’ll handle it. If the answer is a vague “we usually don’t need one,” push back. That’s not an answer.
Question 4: Will I Get a Written Tree Removal Contract Before Work Starts — and What Does It Cover?
A handshake and a verbal quote are how most tree service disputes begin. The crew shows up, does the work, and suddenly the price is different from what was discussed, the stump wasn’t included, the debris is still in the yard, or a section of fence that was damaged during the job is now a “he said, she said” situation with no documentation.
A written tree removal contract protects you from all of that. Before any work begins, you should have a document in hand that identifies the specific tree or trees being worked on, describes the scope of work in detail — removal method, whether stump grinding is included, how debris will be handled, and how surrounding structures like fences, landscaping, and irrigation systems will be protected — and lays out the payment terms, including what’s due upfront and what’s due on completion.
That last part matters. A company that demands full payment before the job is done has removed their incentive to finish it correctly. A reasonable deposit is standard. Full payment before completion is a red flag.
The contract should also reference insurance — specifically, which policies cover the job — and clarify who is responsible for pulling any required permits. If something does go wrong, a signed contract is what determines accountability. Without one, you’re relying on memory and goodwill, neither of which holds up particularly well when there’s money involved.
In Milford, MI, where you’re often dealing with large, mature trees — red oaks, sugar maples, white pines that have been growing for 50 or 60 years — the complexity of a removal job justifies a thorough written agreement. Don’t skip this step because the company seems trustworthy. A trustworthy company will have no problem putting it in writing.
Question 5: Will the Owner Be There — and How Do You Handle Communication Throughout the Job?
The fifth question is one most homeowners never think to ask, but it’s often what separates a smooth job from a frustrating one. Who specifically will be on-site supervising the work? Is it the owner, a certified arborist, or a crew that’s been dispatched without anyone accountable present?
Communication matters just as much. Will someone update you if the weather pushes the schedule? Is there a real person answering the phone, or does your call go to voicemail when you have a question the morning of the job?
These aren’t unreasonable expectations. They’re the baseline of what professional service looks like — and they’re questions a credentialed, well-run company will answer without hesitation. If you’re in Milford, MI and you want a tree service that can answer yes to all five of these questions, reach out to Ivan’s Tree Services LLC. We’re happy to walk you through exactly what we carry, what we cover, and what you can expect from the first call to the final cleanup.