There are three kinds of outfit that will quote a tree job in Ottawa: an owner-operator, a large multi-crew company, and a handyman or door-to-door crew. No licence is required to run a tree company in Ontario, so the name on the truck tells you little. What separates them is who actually quotes and does the work, whether commercial general liability insurance covers climbing and removal, whether the quote is written, and who carries the risk if the City of Ottawa’s tree by-law is ignored. This page lays out the trade-offs plainly. We are an owner-operator, so read it knowing that, and then check everything against the two documents any company should hand you.
The three types, side by side
| What you are comparing | Owner-operator | Large multi-crew company | Handyman / door-knocker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who quotes the job | The owner, in person | Usually an estimator or sales rep | Whoever is at the door, often verbally |
| Who does the work | The same person who quoted it | A crew assigned from the schedule | The same people, same day if you say yes |
| Insurance you should expect | Commercial general liability; certificate on request | Commercial general liability; certificate on request | Often none that covers climbing or removal — ask, and read the exclusions |
| Quote format | Written, itemized, after a site visit or a photo | Written, from an estimating system | Often verbal, often “today only” |
| Headline price | Middle; low overhead, no sales layer | Usually highest; office and fleet overhead built in | Lowest, and that gap is usually the insurance or the cleanup |
| Capacity | One crew; ask about lead time on big jobs | Several crews and more heavy equipment on hand | Whatever is on the trailer that day |
| Permit handling (By-law 2020-340) | Checked with you before booking | Normally handled by the office | Rarely raised; the fine lands on the property owner |
| Accountability afterwards | One phone number, one person | A customer service desk | Often another city by the following week |
General patterns, not claims about any specific company. Any individual outfit can be better or worse than its category; the paperwork below is how you find out.
When each one is the right call
An owner-operator is the right choice when the job is a residential removal, pruning, hedge or stump job where you want the person who looked at the tree to be the person cutting it, and you want one name to call if anything is not right afterwards. In Ottawa most residential removals land between $500 and $2,500 before HST, and an owner-operator with low overhead tends to sit in the middle of the quotes you collect rather than at either end.
A large multi-crew company is the right choice when the job needs more equipment or more people than one crew can bring, or when a property manager needs several sites serviced in the same week under one contract. You pay for that capacity in the price, and the person who quoted is usually not the person on site, so make sure the written scope is complete before the crew arrives.
A handyman or door-to-door crew is rarely the right choice for anything in a tree. Ground-level work such as a small shrub or a hedge face can be fine. Anything that puts a person and a saw above head height, or anything over 30 cm across the trunk inside the urban area, needs insurance that covers climbing and a permit check first. If the price is less than half of everyone else’s, the difference is usually the insurance, the cleanup, or both.
The two documents that settle it
Because no licence is required to sell or perform tree work in Ontario, “do you have a licence?” is the wrong question. Two documents do the work instead.
1. A certificate of commercial general liability insurance, sent by the broker. Ask for it to be emailed from the broker or insurer, not shown on a phone. Check four lines: the named insured matches the business name on your quote; the policy dates cover the day of the work; the limit is adequate ($2 million is the common limit in this trade for removals near a house or wires); and climbing, removal and aerial lift work are not excluded. Max Trees provides its certificate on request.
2. A written quote that says what is included. The tree identified, whether the stump is included, where the wood and chips go, what cleanup means, and how long the price is good for. A real company can hold a price for a week. Our quotes include cleanup every time and the number on the quote is the number you pay.
Five questions for the phone call
- What is your full legal business name? It should match the name that will appear on the insurance certificate and the invoice.
- Can your broker email me a certificate of insurance? Direct from the broker, showing dates, limit, and that climbing and removal are covered.
- Who is climbing, and what is their training? A name and a list — chainsaw, rigging, aerial rescue, first aid — not “all our guys are trained.”
- What is written into the price? Stump, wood, chips, brush, ruts in the lawn.
- How long is this quote good for? If the answer is “today,” you have your answer.
Ask all five of three companies and the field sorts itself out quickly. We would rather quote against someone who asked than someone who did not.
After a storm: the door-knocker rule
Every big Ottawa storm produces the same pattern a week later: unfamiliar trucks working a street and a price that sounds too good with a signature wanted today. A contract signed at your door is a direct agreement under Ontario’s Consumer Protection Act: anything over $50 must be given to you in writing, you can cancel for any reason within 10 days of receiving that written copy, and the business has 15 days to return your money. Sign-today pressure is aimed squarely at that protection. If a tree is on the house, on wires, or over a place people walk, call a company with a certificate you can check, and get the price written down before the saw starts.
The permit is your risk, not the contractor’s
Inside Ottawa’s urban area, a tree 30 cm or more in diameter needs a permit under Tree Protection By-law 2020-340 before removal, with fines from $500 to $100,000, and the by-law holds the property owner responsible regardless of who cut the tree. A company that does not raise the permit question on a large tree is leaving that risk with you. The by-law applies in Kanata, Nepean, Barrhaven, Orléans, Gloucester and Stittsville; Kemptville, Arnprior and Rockland are separate municipalities with their own rules. Our permit guide has the full rule.
What Max Trees is, plainly
Max Trees is an owner-operated tree service for Ottawa and the Ottawa Valley. Max quotes every job in person, is on site for the work, and there are no subcontractors and no call centre. Tree Risk Assessment Qualified (TRAQ) and fully insured, with the certificate available on request. You get a reply within 24 hours of your enquiry and a written quote within 48 hours of the site visit; stumps are priced from a photo. Cleanup is included on every job, the minimum charge is $160 + HST, and the full price schedule is public at maxtrees.ca/pricing. If that is the kind of company you want, call or text 613-715-0103. If it is not, use the five questions above on whoever you do call.
Choosing questions
Is an owner-operator tree service cheaper than a big company in Ottawa?
Usually somewhat, because there is no sales layer or office overhead in the price, but it is rarely the cheapest quote you will get. The cheapest quote is normally an uninsured crew. Compare the written scope and the insurance certificate first and the price second.
Do tree companies in Ottawa need a licence?
No. There is no provincial licence required to run a tree company in Ontario, so proof of commercial general liability insurance is the one real filter. Ask for the certificate from the broker and check that climbing and removal are covered.
How many quotes should I get for tree removal?
Three is enough. Ask each company the same five questions, make sure each written quote includes the same scope (stump, wood, chips, cleanup), and be suspicious of any quote that is less than half of the other two.
Should the person who quoted the job be the one doing it?
It is the simplest way to make sure the scope you agreed to is the scope that gets done. With a large company it is normal for an estimator to quote and a crew to do the work, which is fine as long as the written quote is complete.
What should I do if a crew knocks on my door after a storm?
Take a card, do not sign anything on the spot, and ask for a written quote and an insurance certificate by email. If you did sign at the door, Ontario’s Consumer Protection Act gives you 10 days from receiving the written copy to cancel for any reason.
Who pays the fine if a tree is removed without a permit in Ottawa?
The property owner. Ottawa’s Tree Protection By-law 2020-340 applies to trees 30 cm or more in diameter in the urban area, and fines run from $500 to $100,000, so make sure whoever you hire raises the permit question before the job is booked.
Related: Hiring a tree service in Ottawa: the documents to ask for · Full 2026 price schedule · What tree removal costs in Ottawa · What to do with a storm-damaged tree · Tree removal · Get a free quote
Not sure whether your street is inside the urban boundary? See Ottawa tree permit rules by neighbourhood (Kanata, Barrhaven, Orléans, the villages, Kemptville, Arnprior and Rockland).