MONSTER TREE SERVICE

The 2025 franchise disclosure document, Item 8, requires general liability at $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate, a $1,000,000 excess umbrella, property and casualty at full replacement value, 12 months business interruption including royalty fees, non-owned auto liability at $100,000 CSL Med/PIP and $100,000 UM/UIM, product liability at $1,000,000, workers' compensation as required by state law, $5,000 employee-dishonesty crime coverage, and employer liability at $100,000 per incident. Three franchisor entities must be named additional insured with a waiver of subrogation.

Very different. A home inspector's primary risk is a professional missed-defect claim, covered by errors-and-omissions insurance. A tree service's primary risks are a worker injured while climbing or cutting and a tree that damages property — covered by workers' compensation and general liability. Tree care also carries the highest workers'-compensation rate in home services (NCCI code 0106), so its insurance program costs far more than an inspector's.

Yes. Workers' compensation pays the injured crew member's medical bills and lost wages regardless of fault, and employer liability responds if the worker sues the employer for negligence. Because climbing and aerial-lift work are high-hazard, the FDD's $100,000 employer-liability minimum is low for this trade — Rikor recommends raising it to $1,000,000 and confirming the umbrella extends over it.

Yes. General liability covers accidental property damage you cause to a third party, so a limb on the neighbor's fence or a stem on their structure is generally covered, the same as damage to your customer's property. The issue is usually severity, since one job can damage several adjacent properties — which is why the required umbrella matters.

That is accidental property damage from your operations, generally covered by your general liability. The coverage question is rarely whether the damage is covered; it is whether your limit is high enough when a large stem causes major damage. Carry the required umbrella and size it to your worst realistic loss.

Striking a water or fiber line is accidental property damage generally covered by general liability; striking a gas or electrical line is more dangerous and can drive a much larger loss. Call 811 to have utilities located before grinding, keep the locate ticket, and confirm your general liability has no exclusion for underground or below-grade work.

Workers' compensation is auditable. At year end, the carrier compares the crew payroll you estimated against what you actually paid and adjusts the premium. On NCCI code 0106 — around $7.63 per $100 of payroll — an underestimate produces a large bill. This is a billing reconciliation, not a claim denial. Estimate payroll close to reality and ask for a mid-term adjustment if a strong season pushes payroll well past your estimate.

Tree pruning, repairing, and trimming generally fall under NCCI code 0106, one of the highest-rated codes in all of insurance — around $7.63 per $100 of payroll in reference terms, several times a plumber's rate. The rate is set by your state's rating bureau, not the carrier, and reflects the genuine hazard of climbing and chainsaw work.

Three franchisor entities: Monster Franchising SPE LLC, AB Inc. (Authority Brands, Inc., in its capacity as Manager), and Monster New Franchisor, LLC — plus their parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, members, shareholders, and employees. All three must appear on every certificate, with a waiver of subrogation in their favor. Commercial and municipal tree accounts you serve may also require to be named additional insured on those jobs.

A full Monster Tree program commonly runs about $15,000 to $30,000 or more per year for a crew of three to five with an aerial lift, scaling sharply with payroll and crew count. The FDD's Item 7 estimates roughly $35,000 to $65,000 for a new franchise. Workers' compensation at the 0106 rate is usually the largest single piece, and the high cost reflects the genuine hazard of the work.