If you are a landscaper who offers tree trimming, limb removal, or full takedowns, your standard public liability policy almost certainly does not cover you for all of it. And the gap between what you think you are covered for and what your policy pays out on can be a six-figure problem.
Tree work carries risks that general landscaping does not. Height. Falling weight. Proximity to structures. Underground damage nobody can see until it is too late. Insurers know this and they price for it — or exclude it entirely. If you are doing tree work without the right cover, you are effectively self-insuring against some of the most expensive claims in the trade.
This article explains what tree removal insurance actually is, what your standard policy covers (and what it does not), the extra cover you are likely to need, what it costs in 2026, and how council permits fit into the picture. As always, this is general information only — read the PDS before you buy.
Why Tree Work Is in a Different Risk Category
A general landscaping job might involve planting, paving, mowing, or building a low retaining wall. The risks are real but well-understood: hitting a pipe while digging, staining a driveway, a trip hazard from a hose across a path. Most general insurers are comfortable pricing for these exposures because the claims data is deep and predictable.
Tree work is different. When you take a chainsaw to a branch six metres off the ground, or drop a twenty-metre gum tree section by section next to a house, the potential for catastrophic damage escalates dramatically. Insurers classify tree work separately because the loss ratios bear it out.
Height and Gravity
The most obvious risk is the one that makes tree work profitable in the first place: you are working at height, with heavy limbs and trunks suspended above property. A miscalculation in a rigging setup, a gust of wind at the wrong moment, a branch that swings unexpectedly — any of these can put a limb through a roof, a section of trunk onto a parked car, or debris through a neighbour’s window.
A limb weighing a couple of hundred kilos falling from ten metres carries enough energy to punch clean through a tiled roof and destroy ceiling framing. The repair bill, once you factor in emergency tarping, structural assessment, trades, and temporary accommodation, can easily run to fifty thousand dollars or more.
Falling Limbs and Debris
Even when the takedown goes to plan, debris travels further than you expect. On a windy day, a branch meant for the drop zone can catch the air and sail into a neighbouring property. If it takes out a fence, a pergola, or a hot water system, you are liable. Even cleanup carries risk — dragging a limb across high-end turf can tear it badly enough to require returfing, and the homeowner will not accept patching.
Underground Root Damage
Tree roots do not respect property boundaries. When you remove a large tree, roots can extend well beyond the canopy’s drip line. Pulling a stump near a fence line can shift the fence posts. Roots grown under a driveway, garden wall, or house slab can cause cracking and subsidence when disturbed or when soil moisture changes after tree removal.
This is one of the trickiest areas for insurance because the damage is not always immediately visible. A retaining wall might shift slowly over six months as the soil settles. By the time the owner notices, you have moved on and the connection to your tree work may not be obvious — until the claim arrives.
Root damage claims are particularly difficult because the causation chain can be long and disputed. Insurers scrutinise these claims closely, and coverage depends heavily on your specific policy wording.
Injury to Third Parties
A falling branch does not need to hit property to cause harm. If a passerby, a neighbour, or even the homeowner themselves is struck by debris, the injury can be severe — head trauma, broken bones, spinal damage. Public liability covers third-party personal injury, but if your policy excludes or limits tree work above a certain height and the injury happens during that excluded activity, you have no cover. The medical costs, loss of income, and potential legal liability sit entirely with you.
The Gap in Standard Public Liability Policies
Here is the problem most landscapers do not discover until they read the fine print or, worse, try to make a claim: standard public liability policies often exclude or restrict tree work.
Height Exclusions
The most common restriction is a height limit. Many standard landscaper PL policies will only cover tree work up to a specified height — typically five or six metres. Some policies set the limit at three metres. Above that height, you are not covered.
This might sound adequate if you are only trimming hedges and small ornamental trees. But a mature lemon tree is five to seven metres. A standard backyard eucalypt can be fifteen to twenty-five metres. A Norfolk Island pine on a coastal property can exceed thirty metres. If your policy caps cover at five metres and you are working on anything taller, you are exposed for the full cost of any damage or injury that results.
Arborist Work vs General Tree Trimming
Insurers draw a distinction between light tree trimming a general landscaper might do — pruning ornamentals, shaping hedges, removing dead fronds from palms — and the structural tree work that arborists perform. The line is not always clear, but insurers draw it at claim time.
If you are felling trees, removing large limbs, performing sectional dismantling, or working with climbing ropes and rigging equipment, insurers classify that as arborist work. A standard landscaper PL policy will rarely cover it. You may need a policy that specifically includes tree lopping and removal, or a standalone arborist insurance product.
Even if your policy does not explicitly exclude tree work by name, it may achieve the same result through wording like an exclusion for “work at height” or “work involving the use of chainsaws above ground level.” You need to read the policy wording, not just the schedule.
Other Exclusions That Affect Tree Work
Beyond height limits, watch for these common exclusions:
- Stump grinding. Some policies classify stump grinding separately and exclude it or require an additional endorsement.
- Use of elevated work platforms. If you use a cherry picker or boom lift for tree work, your policy may require notification and potentially an additional premium.
- Work near powerlines. Any tree work within the vegetation clearance zone around powerlines is heavily restricted. Most insurers will not cover it unless you are specifically qualified and have the relevant network operator approvals. If you work near powerlines without the right qualifications and insurance, you are taking on enormous personal risk.
- Heritage or protected trees. Removing a tree subject to a council protection order without the proper permits is illegal — and your insurance will almost certainly not respond to any liability arising from illegal work.
- Pollution and contamination. If tree debris blocks a stormwater drain and causes flooding downstream, or if chainsaw oil contaminates a waterway, standard policies may exclude pollution-related damage.
Extra Cover You Are Likely to Need
If tree work is a meaningful part of your business, a standard landscaper PL policy is not enough. Here is what you should be looking for.
Increased Public Liability Limits
The standard five-million-dollar limit that satisfies most commercial contracts might not be adequate. A tree through the roof of a high-end home, followed by months of alternative accommodation, contents damage, and legal fees, can push past a million dollars. Add a serious injury and the numbers climb higher.
For businesses doing regular tree work, ten-million or twenty-million-dollar cover limits are worth serious consideration. The premium difference between five and ten million is often only fifteen to twenty per cent. When a large claim hits, the extra cover pays for itself instantly.
Specialised Tree Lopping and Arborist Insurance
If tree work makes up a substantial portion of your revenue, you may need a policy purpose-built for arborists rather than a landscaper policy with a tree work extension. Arborist-specific policies are underwritten with a full understanding of the risks — climbing, rigging, sectional dismantling, stump grinding, chainsaw use at height — and the cover is structured accordingly.
These policies typically cost more than a general landscaper policy, but they remove the uncertainty of whether you are covered. You know that the work you are doing falls within the policy’s intended scope.
Workers Compensation for Tree Work
Workers compensation is compulsory in every Australian state and territory, but your premium rate depends on your industry classification. If your workers comp policy classifies your business under “gardening services” or “landscaping” and your crew is doing tree lopping, you may be under-classified. Arborist work carries a higher-risk rating, meaning a higher premium — but it also means claims are paid without dispute.
If an employee is injured doing tree work and your insurer determines the work fell outside your declared business activities, you face a potential claim dispute, a retrospective premium adjustment, and possible penalties. Getting your classification right from the start is cheaper and far less stressful.
Income Protection and Personal Accident Cover
Tree work is physically demanding and carries a higher risk of injury than most landscaping activities. If you are a sole trader or working director and you injure yourself on a tree job, workers comp may not cover you at all (directors and sole traders are often excluded unless they opt in). Income protection or personal accident and illness cover replaces a portion of your income while you recover. If tree work is a regular part of your business, this cover becomes more important, not less.
What Tree Work Cover Costs in 2026
Adding tree work to your insurance costs extra — sometimes a lot extra. The exact number depends on your specific business, and pricing varies by provider, but here is a realistic picture of what to expect based on what landscapers and arborists are seeing in 2026.
The Premium Uplift
If you are currently paying for a standard landscaper public liability policy and you want to add tree work cover, expect the premium to increase by somewhere in the range of thirty to one hundred per cent. A business paying one hundred and fifty dollars a month for PL might see that rise to two hundred to three hundred dollars a month once tree work is included. A larger operation could see proportionally similar increases.
The spread is wide because insurers weigh several factors:
- The percentage of your revenue that comes from tree work. If tree work is five per cent of what you do, the uplift is modest. If it is fifty per cent, the uplift reflects that.
- The maximum height you work at. Work above ten metres costs more to insure than work capped at five metres.
- Whether you use climbing techniques or only work from an elevated platform. Climbing is generally rated as higher risk than platform work.
- Whether you do stump grinding. Stump grinders involve heavy machinery near underground services, and insurers factor that in.
- Your qualifications. A Certificate III in Arboriculture or equivalent, plus relevant chainsaw tickets and rigging qualifications, can help your premium. Insurers like seeing that the person doing the work is trained for it.
- Your claims history. A clean record keeps your premium closer to the lower end. A previous tree work claim — even a small one — will push it up.
Standalone Arborist Policy Costs
If you need a dedicated arborist policy rather than an extension on a landscaper policy, the starting point is higher. Sole operator arborists with relevant qualifications and a clean claims history can expect public liability premiums starting around two hundred to four hundred dollars per month for five-million-dollar cover. Larger arborist businesses with multiple crews, climbing operations, and significant turnover will pay more — potentially a thousand dollars per month or above.
Need tree work cover? Compare public liability insurance that includes or can be extended to cover tree lopping and removal. Get a quote here.
These figures are a guide only. The only way to get a real price for your specific business is to compare quotes from multiple insurers. Online brokers make this straightforward — you can typically get indicative pricing in under fifteen minutes.
Council Permits and How They Interact with Insurance
Tree work in Australia is heavily regulated at the local government level. Most councils have tree preservation orders or local laws that require a permit before you remove or significantly prune a tree above a certain size, or any tree of a protected species, or any tree in a designated overlay area. The rules vary council by council — what is fine in one LGA may require a development application in the next.
Why Permits Matter for Your Insurance
If you remove a tree without the required council permit, your insurance will almost certainly not cover any liability that flows from that removal. Insurance policies universally exclude liability arising from illegal or deliberate unlawful acts. Removing a protected tree without a permit is illegal, regardless of whether you knew the permit was required.
This has practical consequences that go beyond a council fine. If the tree removal without a permit causes property damage — say, the root ball tears up a shared driveway — the property owner claims against you. Your insurer investigates, discovers the work was unpermitted, and denies the claim. You are now personally funding both the property damage repair and any council penalties.
Your Responsibility as the Contractor
Even if the homeowner says they have checked with council, the responsibility sits with you as the professional performing the work. Verify the permit status yourself. Ask to see the permit. If the homeowner does not have one, pause the job until it is obtained. Some councils require your insurance details as part of the permit application — this confirms council is aware of the work and your cover is on file.
Trees on Boundary Lines
Trees that straddle property boundaries are legally complex. Ownership is typically shared between the two property owners, and removing the tree generally requires consent from both. If you remove a boundary tree on the instruction of only one owner and the other owner objects, you can be liable for trespass and property damage. Your insurance may not cover you if you failed to verify ownership and consent.
In short: permits are not just a bureaucratic formality. They directly affect whether your insurance will protect you if something goes wrong. Treat them as a non-negotiable part of your tree work process.
Real Claim Examples
Understanding the risks in the abstract is one thing. Seeing how real claims play out makes them concrete. Here are examples drawn from the types of claims that Australian insurers see regularly in tree work.
Example 1: The Branch Through the Roof
A landscaping crew was removing a large spotted gum from a backyard in Brisbane. The tree was roughly eighteen metres tall and located within four metres of the house. The crew was using sectional dismantling — cutting limbs and lowering them with ropes. A rigged limb slipped from its hitch and swung into the corner of the house, punching through the roof, destroying rafters, the ceiling below, and a built-in wardrobe. The homeowners were out for eight weeks while repairs were completed.
The total claim exceeded one hundred and twenty thousand dollars. The business had a five-million-dollar PL policy, but it had a five-metre height restriction. The insurer declined the claim, and the business owner was personally liable for the full amount.
Example 2: The Root Damage Claim
A landscaping business removed a mature fig tree from a front yard in Adelaide — over sixty years old with an extensive root system. During stump grinding, the crew ground visible roots that had grown under the concrete driveway, removed the stump, backfilled the hole, and left.
Six months later, cracking appeared in the driveway and along the external wall of the house. An engineer’s report concluded that root mass removal caused soil settlement, leading to slab movement. The repair bill — underpinning, structural wall repairs, and driveway replacement — was quoted at eighty-five thousand dollars.
The insurer ultimately accepted the claim because the policy covered property damage from business activities and did not exclude root damage. However, the claim took over twelve months to settle, and the landscaper’s renewal premium increased by roughly forty per cent.
Example 3: Injury to a Passerby
A tree lopping crew was reducing the canopy of a large plane tree overhanging a footpath in suburban Melbourne. Traffic control was in place, but a pedestrian entered the work zone from an unbarricaded driveway. A falling branch struck them on the shoulder, causing a fractured collarbone.
The claim for medical expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering settled in the range of sixty to eighty thousand dollars. The business had PL cover that specifically included arborist work at height, so the insurer handled it. Without that extension — or with a height restriction — the business owner would have been personally liable.
These examples are drawn from the types of claims Australian insurers see regularly. The dollar figures are illustrative — they reflect the scale of typical tree work claims but will vary depending on the specific circumstances.
Tree Work Insurance Checklist
Before your next tree job, run through this checklist:
- Read your PL policy wording. Look specifically for height exclusions, tree work restrictions, and any reference to arborist activities. Do not rely on what your broker or insurer told you over the phone — get it in writing.
- Confirm your cover limit is adequate. If you are working near high-value property, five million may not cut it. Ask your insurer what a ten-million or twenty-million-dollar limit would cost.
- Check your workers comp classification. If your crew does tree work, make sure your policy reflects that. An incorrect classification can cost you at claim time.
- Verify council permits before starting. Ask to see the permit. If there is not one, do not start the job. Your insurance depends on it.
- Document your risk management. Take photos of the site before and after. Record your safety procedures, rigging checks, and exclusion zone setup. If a claim comes in, good documentation is your best defence.
- Review your subcontractor cover. If you subcontract tree work to an arborist, confirm they have their own insurance with adequate limits. Get a certificate of currency before they start.
- Consider income protection. If you personally perform tree work and your income stops when you cannot work, personal accident or income protection cover is worth a look.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my standard landscaper public liability policy cover tree removal?
Not necessarily. Most standard landscaper PL policies either exclude tree work entirely, or restrict cover to a maximum height — typically five or six metres. If you are felling trees, lopping large limbs, or performing sectional dismantling above that height, you are likely not covered. Read your policy wording carefully and speak to your insurer or broker about adding the appropriate cover.
What is the difference between tree lopping insurance and arborist insurance?
Tree lopping insurance is generally an extension on a trades policy that covers basic tree trimming, limb removal, and small takedowns — usually with height restrictions. Arborist insurance is purpose-built for qualified arborists performing structural tree work, climbing, rigging, sectional dismantling, and stump grinding. If tree work is a significant part of what you do, arborist insurance is the more appropriate cover.
How much extra does tree work add to my premium?
Expect your PL premium to increase by roughly thirty to one hundred per cent when you add tree work cover, depending on your revenue from tree work, maximum working height, qualifications, and claims history. A business paying one hundred and fifty dollars per month might see that rise to two hundred to three hundred dollars per month. Exact pricing varies by provider.
Do I need a council permit before I remove a tree, and does it affect my insurance?
Yes. Most Australian councils require a permit to remove or significantly prune trees above a certain size, protected species, or trees in overlay areas. If you remove a tree without the required permit, your insurance will almost certainly not cover any liability because policies exclude illegal acts. The permit is a condition of your cover.
What should I do if I am asked to remove a tree near powerlines?
Stop. Tree work near powerlines is heavily regulated. In most states, only qualified and authorised arborists with specific training and network operator approval may work within the vegetation clearance zone. Standard landscaper insurance will almost certainly exclude this work. If you do not hold the required authorisations, do not take the job. The risks — electrical, legal, and financial — are too high to justify the revenue.
This article provides general information only and does not take into account your individual circumstances. It is not financial advice. Insurance products are subject to terms, conditions, limits, and exclusions that vary between insurers. You should read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD) for any policy you are considering, and speak with a licensed insurance professional if you need personal advice.