About DeKalb Tree Works

This site is a local referral service, not a tree service company. Calls and form submissions are routed to an independent, insured tree care company operating in the area, and that company performs the work, sets the price, and carries the liability for it.

Coverage is limited to DeKalb County and the cities listed in the service area, because local rules and conditions are what make the advice on this site worth anything.

• Ask for a certificate of insurance sent directly from the agent or carrier, naming you as certificate holder, showing both general liability and workers compensation current on the date of work
• Confirm workers compensation specifically: Georgia requires it for employers who regularly have three or more employees, and it is the coverage that protects you if a crew member is injured on your property
• Verify any claimed ISA Certified Arborist credential through the ISA public credential directory, and ask whether that individual will actually be on your job
• Ask whether the company works to ANSI A300 pruning standards and write that into the scope
• Inside the City of Atlanta, check the company against the City's Tree Professional Registry, which registered companies must be on to pull permits or perform regulated removals
• If herbicide or stump treatment is proposed, ask for the Georgia Department of Agriculture pesticide contractor license
• Require a written scope that states the method (climb, bucket, or crane) and states explicitly whether wood haul-off, chip cleanup, and stump grinding are included
• Confirm a Georgia 811 locate has been requested before any stump grinding, since Georgia law treats stump removal as excavation
• Refuse large cash deposits before work begins, and prefer a traceable payment method with the balance due on completion
• Check that the company has a verifiable local business address and a phone number that traces to the business, particularly for crews that appear after a storm
• Ask who is responsible for damage to driveways, irrigation, septic components, and fences, and get the answer in writing before equipment arrives