Questions to ask a tree company in Corpus Christi

We check nothing about the companies we connect people with: not licenses, not insurance, not reviews, and that includes any company taking a job through us. Nobody else is going to ask these for you, so ask before you agree to anything and keep the answers in writing. The first few are the ones that come up on this coast.

Who deals with AEP, and who pays for that?

If the line feeding your house runs through the tree, AEP Texas says to call 877-373-4858 at least two business days before you schedule the work, so a crew can disconnect it. Near a high voltage line, state law keeps people and tools six feet back unless contact is guarded against, and for temporary work the operator gets 48 hours' notice and the party doing the work pays its actual expense. A good answer names who makes the call and whose bill it lands on. A vague answer is a reason to get another estimate.

If insurance is involved, will you wait for my photos and my adjuster?

The Texas Department of Insurance says to photograph before the tree moves. TWIA tells its policyholders not to start permanent repairs or dispose of damaged items before talking to an examiner. A crew in a hurry can undo that in an afternoon. Also listen for the deductible pitch: the department says a contractor waiving or rebating your deductible is breaking the law.

Whose insurance answers if something goes wrong?

The arborists' trade body, ISA, calls this kind of work inherently dangerous. Its advice is to get the proof, then phone the insurer named on it. The FTC says to ask for proof too. Ask what the policy covers if a limb goes through your neighbor's roof or a worker is hurt on your lot, and make the call yourself. We have not done it for you.

Is it all on paper?

Get the job in writing. The FTC wants to see the work described, along with materials, a finish date and the price, and its storm page says no blank spaces. For a tree job, that means listing every tree, the way it will come down, and who fixes ruts in the lawn or a broken fence. ISA's advice is a second estimate at least, with no automatic pick of the lowest.

Where does the brush go?

The city's rules make this one worth asking. The city's heavy brush collection runs on set-out dates by section with a limit of one truckload, and a load put out at the wrong time can bring a Notice of Violation to the resident. Ask whether limbs, logs and chips all leave with the crew, and to where. The city's 2025 guide says a Hauler Permit is required for anyone other than a residential customer who collects or transports waste. The brush page has the details.

Who grinds the stump, and who calls 811?

Ask if the stump is in the quote, how deep the grinder goes, and whether the chips stay in the hole. Then ask who has the 811 ticket. Texas811 says excavators must contact it two business days ahead, weekends and holidays not counted, and its page says responses can be checked against the utilities listed on the ticket. Ask to see it.

Will the truck block the street?

The city says "Permits and licenses are required to operate in the City's right of way." Its page does not mention tree work, and the rules page says what we could not confirm. So ask whether the job needs a lane or sidewalk, and whether the company has checked with the city.

Would you top it?

The right reply is no. ISA has a whole brochure on why topping hurts trees, and it also goes by hat-racking. If someone pitches it as the cheap option, that is your cue to call someone else. There is more on the trim or remove page.

For an oak: what month, and do you paint the cuts?

The Forest Service's no-cut months for oaks are February through June, and it wants cuts and fresh stumps painted at once in any season. Ask where the wood is going too. We could not confirm oak wilt in Nueces County, as the hurricane season page explains, but a careful crew should still have an answer.

Does anyone on the job hold an ISA credential?

ISA certification is voluntary and nongovernmental, earned by exam. Ask for the person's name and whether they will be on site. ISA's directory can confirm a credential, and it says certification shows the minimum knowledge and skill requirements. Listings are voluntary, so a missing name proves nothing either way.

Who am I actually dealing with?

Not every website that looks like a local tree company is one. This one is not: it connects homeowners with companies and does no tree work. Ask for the legal name, address and phone number of the business doing the job, and see that they match the quote and the truck. The FTC suggests searching a contractor's name online with words like "scam," "review," or "complaint."

How do you want to be paid?

Keep some money back. The FTC says never to pay it all at the start and to hold the last payment until you are happy with the finished job. After a storm it says to use a credit card or check, and treats a demand for cash up front as the signal to walk away. Sign at home and the contract should say you can cancel within three business days. The department adds that when a disaster is declared, contractors from outside your area cannot legally ask for payment before they start.

Door-knockers after a storm

The Forest Service says "Don't hire just anyone who shows up at your door after a storm." ISA warns about door-to-door bargains too. You lose little by taking a card and calling back after you have made two other calls.

When a job goes bad

Start with the company. Suspected scams go to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Insurance trouble goes to the department's help line, 800-252-3439, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central.