A practical Canadian guide to starting a tree service: arborist training and certification, business registration, workers compensation, permits, and safety.
Applies in: across Canada
Start with skill, then paperwork, then permits. Tree work is skilled, physical, and dangerous, and customers hire on trust. The usual path is field experience first, ISA Certified Arborist certification second, and a registered business with workers compensation coverage, liability insurance, and a clear permit check on every job. There is no single national tree service licence in Canada, so the rules that matter most are the ones set by your province, your workers compensation board, and the city where each tree stands.
Most tree service owners start as ground workers or climbers for an established company. That field time matters twice: it teaches climbing, rigging, pruning, and removal safely, and it counts toward certification.
The main credential is the ISA Certified Arborist designation from the International Society of Arboriculture. It is accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board, and holders must follow the ISA Code of Ethics. To qualify for the exam, you need three years of full-time experience in arboriculture, or a combination of education and practical experience, such as a two-year degree plus two years of experience or a four-year degree in a related field plus one year. After certification, you maintain the credential by earning 30 continuing education units over each three-year period or by retaking the exam.
Certification certifies one person, not a whole crew. If you advertise as certified, be clear about who holds the credential and whether that person will be on the job. Customers can verify a credential through ISA's Find an Arborist directory, so keep your certification number handy.
Register your business name in your province, set up a business bank account, and check whether you need a business number from the Canada Revenue Agency for tax accounts such as payroll or sales tax. The exact steps and forms differ by province and by business structure, so use your province's business registry as the source rather than copying another province's process.
Decide early what services you will actually offer: pruning, removal, stump grinding, planting, cabling and bracing, or storm cleanup. Each service needs different equipment and different safety planning. A narrow start, such as pruning and small removals, is easier to staff and insure than offering every service at once.
Register with your province's workers compensation board before hiring anyone, and confirm how your business is classified. Classification matters because it sets your premium rate and your reporting duties. In British Columbia, WorkSafeBC groups tree work under classification unit 764062, which covers services such as felling, pruning, removing, chipping, and delimbing trees, as well as utility arborist services. Other provinces have their own boards, such as the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board in Ontario and the Workers' Compensation Board in Alberta, and their own classifications, so confirm yours directly with your board.
Liability insurance is separate from workers compensation. It covers damage to a customer's property, such as a fence, roof, or vehicle. Ask your insurer what your policy covers for tree work specifically, including work at height and debris removal, and get the answer in writing before quoting jobs that involve large trees or tight spaces.
This is the step new tree services most often miss. A customer owning a tree does not automatically mean the tree can be cut. Many Canadian cities protect trees above a certain size, in ravines, or on city land, and require a permit before a protected tree is removed or injured. Injury can include major root cutting, not just removal.
Toronto is a clear example. Under Municipal Code Chapter 813, a permit is required before removing or injuring a private tree with a trunk diameter of 30 centimetres or more, measured at 1.4 metres above ground. The threshold, the application, and the replacement planting conditions are set by the city, so check the current bylaw for the city where the tree stands. Never assume one city's threshold applies in another city.
Put permit responsibility in writing on every quote: who applies, who pays any fee, and whether work starts only after approval. Cutting a protected tree without a permit can lead to fines and replacement orders, and that risk should never sit in an unwritten assumption.
Quebec has two points worth checking separately. First, the Régie du bâtiment du Québec lists felling of trees among work that does not require a building contractor licence, because it is not considered construction work. Do not read that as a general exemption: municipal permits, business registration, workers compensation coverage, and safety rules still apply, and work that crosses into construction needs the right licence.
Second, the Société internationale d'arboriculture Québec, founded in 1977, is the Quebec chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. It promotes best practices in arboriculture and urban forestry in Quebec, offers training and resources, and maintains a member list for finding professionals. For work near power lines, it notes that only contractors authorized by Hydro-Québec may approach within 3 metres of the medium-voltage electrical network. If a job is near lines, confirm authorization before quoting it.
Tree work safety starts with training, not equipment purchases. Chainsaw use, climbing, rigging, and aerial rescue each need proper instruction and practice. Set written procedures for each job: check the tree, the ground, the drop zone, overhead lines, and weather, and stop work when conditions make the job unsafe.
For equipment, start with what your services require and what you can maintain: chainsaws, climbing gear, ropes, rigging, a chipper, and a truck and trailer for debris. Price quotes by the job, not by the hour, and put the scope in writing: which trees, what work, debris removal, stump treatment, cleanup, permit responsibility, and what happens if hidden problems appear, such as rot or a nest. Keep records of every job, including photos, permits, and customer references, because that record becomes your quoting history and your reputation.
Related guides: contractor licence cost in Ontario, how to become a licensed home builder in Canada.
There is no single national tree service licence in Canada. What you need depends on your province and city: business registration, workers compensation coverage, municipal tree permits for specific jobs, and, in Quebec, the rules below. Certification as an arborist is separate from a business licence, and holding one does not replace the other.
The International Society of Arboriculture route requires three years of full-time experience in arboriculture, or a combination of education and practical experience, followed by an exam. Certified Arborists must also keep learning to maintain the credential, including 30 continuing education units over each three-year period or retaking the exam, and must follow the ISA Code of Ethics.
The Régie du bâtiment du Québec lists felling of trees among work that does not require a building contractor licence, because it is not considered construction work. That does not remove other obligations: municipal permits, business registration, workers compensation coverage, and safety rules still apply, and work that crosses into construction still needs the right licence. In Quebec, the Société internationale d'arboriculture Québec is the Quebec chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture and offers training and a member list.
Often, yes, and the rule is set by the municipality, not by the province. In Toronto, for example, a permit is required before removing or injuring a private tree with a trunk diameter of 30 centimetres or more, measured at 1.4 metres above ground, under Municipal Code Chapter 813. Always check the rules of the city where the tree stands before cutting, and confirm who is responsible for the permit in your written quote.
Register with your province's workers compensation board before hiring workers, and confirm how your work is classified. In British Columbia, WorkSafeBC groups tree work such as felling, pruning, removing, chipping, and utility arborist services under classification unit 764062. Other provinces use their own boards and classifications, so confirm yours directly with the board rather than assuming another province's code applies.
Treat power lines as a separate safety problem from ordinary tree work. Only workers with the right training and authorization should work near energized lines. In Quebec, the Société internationale d'arboriculture Québec notes that only contractors authorized by Hydro-Québec may approach within 3 metres of the medium-voltage electrical network. Elsewhere, check with your local utility before quoting work near lines.