Tree work is consistently ranked among the most dangerous occupations in the country. Chainsaws, heavy equipment, falling limbs, uneven ground. That risk is why we carry the coverage we do, and why we hand you proof of it before we start.
This is a plain-English explanation of what StumpBusters carries on every job, what each policy actually does, and how you can see it for yourself. It isn’t legal advice. For questions about your own policy, talk to your insurance provider.
What We Carry
Three policies, active on every job:
- Workers’ compensation: covering every member of our crew, classified for tree care operations.
- Commercial general liability: $1M+ per occurrence, classified for stump grinding and tree work.
- Commercial auto liability: every vehicle and piece of equipment we bring onto your property.
What Each One Actually Does
Workers’ compensation
This is the policy that matters most to you as a property owner, and it’s the one people think about least.
Premises liability is the legal principle that property owners carry some responsibility for what happens on their property. In tree work, that principle can reach further than most homeowners expect. A serious injury on a job site, like a fall or a chainsaw accident, can generate six figures in medical costs, lost wages, and rehabilitation.
Our workers’ compensation policy is what absorbs that. If someone on our crew is hurt on your property, their medical bills and lost wages run through our policy. Your homeowner’s insurance is never involved, and the whole thing stays our problem, start to finish. We put that in writing before we start.
Commercial general liability
This is the property-damage policy. Trees and stumps don’t always come down exactly where everyone expects. A limb catches a roofline. A grinder throws debris. Equipment backs into a fence post. These things happen on real job sites, even with experienced operators and good judgment.
When it happens on one of ours, our general liability coverage pays for the repair. You don’t file a claim on your homeowner’s policy, you don’t pay a deductible, and you don’t absorb a premium increase for work you didn’t perform.
Commercial auto
Trucks, trailers, and grinders come up your driveway and sometimes across your lawn. Commercial auto liability covers all of it, in transit and on site.
Why the Classification Matters
An insurance policy is more than a dollar amount. It also describes what work is covered, and that description determines whether a claim gets paid.
Ours is written specifically for tree care and stump grinding operations, not general landscaping. Landscaping classifications are priced for ground-level work and carry exclusions that reflect it. Tree care classifications are priced for chainsaws, heavy equipment, and elevated work, which is why coverage for this trade costs considerably more than it does for most outdoor services. We pay for the classification that matches the work we do on your property.
Pennsylvania Requirements
Pennsylvania law requires most employers to carry workers’ compensation insurance. We carry it for every employee, on every job, across Lancaster, Dauphin, Lebanon, and York counties.
Coverage also has to be current. A policy runs for a term and renews, so the effective dates on the certificate are what tell you it’s active today. Ours are right there on the document.
How To See Our Certificate of Insurance
Ask, and we’ll have our insurance carrier send the Certificate of Insurance directly to you.
The carrier sends it rather than us forwarding a copy, so what lands in your inbox is current and comes straight from the source. It costs nothing and takes one phone call on our end.
The COI lists the policy types, the limits, the classification, and the effective dates. Everything described on this page is on that one document.
Insurance Pays. The Guarantee Puts It In Writing.
Before any work starts, we hand you a signed legal document confirming that injuries to our crew while we’re working on your property are our responsibility, never yours. It’s yours to keep.
Coverage and paperwork do different jobs. If a worker is injured and their health insurer pays the initial costs, that insurer can pursue subrogation, meaning it can seek recovery from whoever is legally responsible, regardless of what anyone signed. Active insurance is what answers that. The guarantee is the written commitment sitting on top of it, and we provide both on every job.
Read the full Zero-Risk Guarantee →
Frequently Asked Questions
What does workers’ compensation do if a StumpBusters worker is injured on my property?
It covers their medical bills, lost wages, and rehabilitation costs through our policy. Your homeowner’s insurance is not involved, and the signed Zero-Risk Guarantee puts that responsibility in writing before we start.
What happens if StumpBusters damages my property?
Our commercial general liability coverage pays for the repair. You don’t file on your homeowner’s policy, you don’t pay a deductible, and you don’t take a premium increase for work you didn’t perform.
What insurance does StumpBusters carry?
Workers’ compensation, commercial general liability at $1M+ per occurrence, and commercial auto. All three are active on every job, and the policy is classified for tree care and stump grinding operations rather than general landscaping.
Can I see your Certificate of Insurance?
Yes. Ask and we’ll have our carrier send it to you directly, so what you receive is current and straight from the source. It lists policy types, limits, classification, and effective dates.
Does the classification on the policy actually matter?
Yes. A policy describes what work it covers, and that description determines whether a claim gets paid. Ours is written for tree care and stump grinding, priced for chainsaws, heavy equipment, and elevated work, because that’s what we do on your property.
Is a signed waiver the same thing as insurance?
No. If a worker is injured and their health insurer pays the initial costs, that insurer can pursue subrogation regardless of what anyone signed. Active insurance is what answers that. Our Zero-Risk Guarantee is a written commitment on top of active coverage, not a substitute for it.
Does Pennsylvania require workers’ compensation?
Yes. Pennsylvania law requires most employers to carry it. We carry it for every employee on every job across Lancaster, Dauphin, Lebanon, and York counties.
Every Job, Every Time
All three policies active, and a signed guarantee in your hand before the first cut. That’s how we run every job: a single $150 stump and a multi-day commercial clearing get the same paperwork.
Want to see it? Contact StumpBusters LLC for a free photo estimate, or book an onsite visit. We’re available 7 days a week, and yes, we’ll gladly show you our insurance.
