How to Hire a Tree Service in Lansing: A 2026 Checklist

Published August 4, 2026 by Lansing Tree Services

Why this matters more in tree work than in most trades

Tree work is one of the more dangerous jobs in the country. It combines chainsaws, height, unpredictable wood, and often a house or a power line directly below. When it goes wrong on your property, the question of who is financially responsible gets answered by paperwork nobody looked at beforehand.

There is a second reason to be careful in mid-Michigan specifically. Pruning is not reversible. A crew that tops a maple or leaves flush cuts on an oak has permanently reduced that tree's structure and opened it to decay, and there is no undo. A bad haircut grows out. A bad pruning job is with the tree for the rest of its life, which around Lansing might be another 60 years.

Step 1: Verify insurance, not insurance claims

Two coverages matter, and both should be confirmed before anyone puts a saw in a tree.

General liability covers damage to your property and injury to third parties. If a limb comes through your roof, or the drop zone catches a fence or a neighbor's car, this is the policy that responds.

Workers compensation covers the crew if someone is hurt on your property. This is the one homeowners overlook, and it is the one with the most exposure attached to it. Michigan's workers disability compensation requirements generally apply to private employers with three or more employees at any one time, or with one employee working 35 hours or more per week for 13 weeks or longer. A two-person outfit may legitimately fall outside that, which is worth knowing rather than assuming either way.

The verification method matters as much as the question. Ask for a certificate of insurance sent to you directly by the agency, with your name listed as certificate holder. A screenshot, a photo of a card, or a PDF forwarded from the contractor's own email tells you far less. Policies lapse. Certificates from the agent show current status.

Step 2: Look for the ISA credential on the person diagnosing the tree

The International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborist credential is earned by exam and maintained with continuing education. It is voluntary. It is not a license, and plenty of skilled climbers do not hold it.

Where it matters most is diagnosis rather than climbing. Deciding whether an ash is worth treating, whether an oak is showing wilt or drought stress, whether a silver maple with included bark can be reduced or has to come out: those are judgment calls with real money attached. Our posts on emerald ash borer treatment and signs a tree is dying both come down to reading a tree correctly before spending on it. A certified arborist is a reasonable proxy for someone who has been tested on that.

Ask directly: who will be assessing the tree, and are they certified? Then ask what they see and why. A good answer describes the specific defect and what it means. A vague answer about the tree being dangerous, with no detail, is a sales pitch.

Step 3: Demand a written scope

The single most useful thing a homeowner can do is refuse to compare bare numbers. A real quote states:

• Which trees, identified by species and location on the property
• What is being done to each one, in pruning terms rather than "trim it back"
• Whether wood and brush are hauled away, chipped on site, or left stacked
• Whether the stump is ground, and to what depth below grade
• What cleanup includes, including whether the lawn is raked and ruts repaired
• Who pulls any permit required
• Payment terms, and the total price

Stump grinding and hauling are the two line items that most often explain a suspiciously low bid, and both are expensive to add later. Our stump grinding cost guide shows what that work is actually worth, and the tree removal cost guide covers the removal side.

On pruning specifically, ask what standard the crew works to. The answer you want references ANSI A300 pruning standards and describes reduction cuts back to appropriate lateral branches. The answer you do not want is any version of topping.

Step 4: Confirm timing and permits before scheduling

Two local rules catch homeowners out around Lansing.

The first is oak wilt. Pruning oaks between April 15 and July 15 is the high-risk window in Michigan, and a crew that offers to prune your oaks in June without mentioning it has told you something about their knowledge. The full explanation is in our guide to oak wilt and the pruning ban.

The second is permitting. Trees in the public right of way, and in some cases larger trees on private property, are regulated by the municipality, and the rules differ between Lansing, East Lansing, and the surrounding townships. Sort this out before the truck is booked. We covered what applies where in our guide to tree removal permits in Lansing.

Red flags, especially in storm season

August and September bring the derecho-style wind events and the wet, heavy storms that drop limbs across mid-Michigan, and they reliably bring out-of-area crews with them. The pattern is consistent enough to list.

Door knocking after a storm with a same-day price. Legitimate emergency work exists, and our storm damage guide covers what actually is urgent. But a real emergency does not require you to skip verifying insurance.

Large cash deposit up front. Deposits on scheduled work are normal. A demand for a large cash payment before anything happens is not.

No verifiable local presence. No local address, out-of-state plates, a phone number that goes to voicemail, no reviews tied to a real business listing.

Pressure to decide immediately. A tree that has stood for 80 years can usually wait 48 hours for a second opinion, unless it is actively failing over a structure.

Topping offered as a solution. Cutting main stems back to stubs to reduce height is not accepted arboricultural practice. It creates weak regrowth, decay at every cut, and a more hazardous tree in five years, not a safer one.

Climbing spikes on a tree that is being pruned. Spikes are for removals. Using them on a tree that is staying wounds the trunk repeatedly. If you see spurs going up a tree you are keeping, ask why before the work starts.

What a good visit looks like

The estimator walks the property, looks up, looks at the base and root flare, and asks questions about what you have noticed. They name the species. They point at specific defects: included bark at a union, a fungal conk at the base, deadwood concentrated in one part of the crown. They tell you what they would do and what they would leave alone, including saying that a tree does not need work when it does not. Then you get it in writing.

That last part is worth more than any credential. A crew willing to tell you the tree is fine is a crew you can trust when they tell you it is not.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do tree services need a license in Michigan?

Michigan does not issue a statewide tree care contractor license the way it licenses residential builders. Requirements are handled locally, so some municipalities require registration or a permit for work in the public right of way. That gap is exactly why insurance and certification matter more here than a license number does. Ask your city or township what it requires, then verify coverage yourself.

What insurance should a Lansing tree service carry?

General liability covering property damage and bodily injury, plus workers compensation for the crew. Ask for a certificate of insurance sent directly from the agent, not a photo of a card. Michigan's workers compensation requirements generally apply to private employers with three or more employees, or one employee working 35 hours or more per week for 13 weeks or longer.

What is an ISA Certified Arborist?

It is a credential from the International Society of Arboriculture earned by passing an exam on tree biology, diagnosis, pruning, safety, and soil, and maintained with continuing education. It is not a license and it is not required by law. It is a reasonable signal that whoever is diagnosing your tree understands what pruning cuts do to it.

Why are door-to-door tree services after a storm a risk?

Because storm work attracts crews who follow weather rather than build a local reputation. The pattern is a same-day price, pressure to sign now, a large cash deposit, and no verifiable local address. Emergency work is legitimate and sometimes urgent, but urgency is not a reason to skip a certificate of insurance. Verify coverage even when a limb is on the roof.

What should a tree service quote include?

Which trees by location, what is being done to each, how much wood is being removed, whether wood and brush are hauled away or left, whether the stump is ground and how deep, cleanup expectations, permit responsibility, and the total price. A one-line number with no scope is not a quote. Written scope is what you compare between bids, not the total alone.

How many estimates should I get for tree work in Lansing?

Three is a reasonable number for anything beyond a small job, as long as you compare scope and not just price. A bid far below the others usually means something is missing, most often insurance, stump grinding, or hauling. Get the bids in writing and make sure each one describes the same work before you decide.