The decision page is remove a dangerous tree. This list only helps you walk into that page with the right facts.
In short. Ask who holds the credential the city named, how the wood will leave the roof, who files the three-day or variance paper, and which dollars are ordinance fees rather than the crew’s invoice.
| Question | A useful answer | A weak answer |
|---|---|---|
| Who signs the risk form? | An ISA arborist, TRAQ where Charlotte asks for it | “We have insurance” with no name |
| How does the wood come off the roof? | A rigging plan or a crane set that fits the drive | “We will figure it out on site” |
| Who files with the city? | They know the three-day Charlotte file or the New Hanover variance | “Permits are the owner’s problem” on a heritage tree |
| What is not in the price? | Ordinance mitigation stated separately | A single number that pretends to include a fee the city has not assessed |
| What stays in the yard? | Stump left or ground, chips hauled or kept | No answer on the stump |
| When do you call me? | A phone and an email, emergency or scheduled | A quote request with no callback |
The list
- Who will sign a risk form if the city asks?. Charlotte wants ISA plus TRAQ before a declining heritage tree is cut. The state does not license arborists. Ask for the credential the ordinance names.
- How will you keep the stem off the house?. The photo on the job pages is a crane and a climber because that is the usual rig beside a roof. A slope in Buncombe may not allow a machine where the ordinance says hand-held.
- Which paper do you file, and when?. Charlotte’s hazard file is three days. New Hanover’s 36-inch live oak is a variance before the cut. Those are not interchangeable.
- Which dollars are the city’s?. Five hundred dollars in Charlotte, two hundred an inch in New Hanover, and fifty an inch in Fayetteville are ordinance figures. They are not the crew’s day rate.
- What happens to the stump and the brush?. Say so in the callback. A stump-only visit, with the stem already gone, is a different job and this desk refuses it.
- Will you call this number?. The form sends only when both the phone and the email are filled and both answers are yes.
How this was ranked
Ordered by the question that prevents a failed file, then the question that prevents a stem through a roof. Price is last because the ordinances do not set it.
Questions people type before they hire
Should I ask for a free estimate?
This site does not use that phrase. Leave a phone and an email. The company calls you back about the tree.
Is the cheapest crew the right test?
No. A crew that does not know the three-day Charlotte file can create a mitigation bill larger than the difference in their price.
Do I need three bids?
You need one company that can do this tree and file the paper the city named. The card sends the job to one company.
Where is the decision?
The rule page states the job. The card on that page is how an in-spec tree moves.
When the list matches your tree, go back to remove a dangerous tree and use the callback. The card is also at the top of this page.