Every fall and winter, Rochester homeowners call us after a storm or a scary quote from someone else and ask the same question: "how do I know you're legit?" It's a fair question. Tree work is dangerous, it's expensive, and the barrier to showing up with a truck and a chainsaw is basically zero. Monroe County has plenty of real, insured, professional crews — and plenty of guys who aren't any of those things.
Here's what we tell people to check before they let anyone near a tree on their property, whether that's us or someone else.
1. Get the Certificate of Insurance — Not Just a Promise
"We're insured" means nothing on its own. Ask for a Certificate of Insurance (COI) and actually look at two things on it:
- General liability — covers damage to your house, fence, car, or neighbor's property if something goes wrong.
- Workers' compensation — covers the crew if someone gets hurt on your property. This is the one homeowners skip checking, and it's the one that can land on you. If a crew member falls out of your tree and the company has no workers' comp, you can be pulled into that claim as the property owner.
A legitimate company will email you a COI without hesitation, usually within minutes. Hesitation, excuses, or "we'll bring it the day of" is a reason to call someone else.
2. Get It in Writing
A real quote names the tree(s), the specific work (removal, trim, stump grinding), what happens to the debris, and the total price. "Should run you somewhere around $800, give or take" texted after a two-minute driveway look is not a quote — it's a guess that's about to become an argument.
Ask specifically what's included: cleanup and haul-away, stump handling, and whether the price changes if they hit something unexpected (buried rock, a leaning tree that needs rigging, power lines nearby). The crews worth hiring have answered this question a thousand times and won't flinch at it.
3. Ask Who's Actually Doing the Climbing
Tree removal and large pruning jobs should be run by someone with real climbing and rigging experience, not a crew that's only ever run a chipper. It's reasonable to ask whether the lead on your job is a certified arborist or has formal training, and how long the company has been doing removals in your area specifically — Rochester's lot sizes, soil, and tree mix (lots of silver maple, ash, and spruce) are different from a crew that mostly worked somewhere else.
4. Red Flags That Should End the Conversation
- Pressure to decide today, especially right after a storm. Real companies will hold a quote for a reasonable window.
- Cash-only, no receipt, no company name on the truck. If something goes wrong, you have no paper trail.
- No local address or a P.O. box only. Ask where they're actually based.
- Upfront payment in full before any work starts. A deposit for materials on a planting job is normal; full payment up front for a removal is not.
- Topping as the proposed fix for a tall or overgrown tree. Topping (hacking the top off indiscriminately) is bad practice that weakens the tree and usually makes the next job more expensive, not less.
5. Check Reviews the Right Way
Don't just read the star rating — read how the company responds to a bad review, if there is one. A company with 40 reviews and zero complaints ever is less convincing than one with a few hiccups that got handled professionally in the replies. Google and Nextdoor reviews from actual Monroe County neighborhoods (Fairport, Pittsford, Penfield, Webster) tell you more than a generic review site.
What We'd Want You to Ask Us
We say this to every prospective customer: ask us for our COI, ask how long we've worked in the Rochester area, ask who's climbing your tree, and ask for the quote in writing before anyone shows up with equipment. We'll answer all four without hesitation — and we think any company you're considering should too.
Spartan Tree and Landscape is fully insured, locally owned, and based right here in the Rochester area. Call or text us at or request a free estimate online — and ask us any of the questions above. We'd rather answer them than lose the job to someone who can't.