No state license
Georgia does not license tree care companies. A study committee of the state House recommended licensing in December 2024, and a bill to create it, HB 882, was read in the House in April 2025 and has not passed. Until something changes, anyone with a saw and a truck can offer tree removal in Georgia, so the checks below are the ones that protect you.
The checks
| Check | How |
|---|---|
| Liability insurance | Ask for a certificate of insurance sent to you by the insurer, not a copy handed over by the crew. It should name the company you are hiring and be current on the work date. |
| Workers’ compensation | Same certificate, or a separate one. Tree work is dangerous, and you want an injury on your property to be the employer’s insurer’s matter. |
| Certification | For decisions (remove or keep, cabling, a risk assessment), an ISA Certified Arborist. DeKalb County accepts such an arborist’s assessment for hazardous trees. |
| Written scope | Which trees, how they come down, what happens to the wood and the stump, cleanup, who handles the permit, and the price. |
| References | Recent jobs like yours, ideally nearby. |
The International Society of Arboriculture’s hiring advice runs along the same lines: proof of insurance, confirmed with the insurance company; local permits checked; more than one estimate, and references; caution with door-to-door bargains; and everything in writing, in a contract.
After storms
Big storms bring crews from out of town knocking on doors. Many are legitimate, but this is when people lose money. Cautions:
- Do not pay the full price up front.
- Do not sign over your insurance payment to the crew.
- Be wary of anyone who wants to start immediately without a written price, or who says a healthy tree must come down.
- Check the insurance certificate even when it is urgent.
Red flags
Topping offered as normal pruning (see Trimming and pruning); work near a power line by people who are not line-clearance trained, which OSHA forbids within ten feet; no insurance paperwork.
Checked against the sources below on 2026-10-11.