What a tree job involves
Most residential tree work around Lebanon and Mason falls into a few kinds: taking trees down, trimming them, grinding stumps, and cleaning up after storms. A crew for a removal might bring a bucket truck, a chipper, saws, ropes and rigging, and sometimes a lift, a crane or a stump grinder. What they bring depends on the tree and on how they can reach it.
The work itself usually runs in this order:
- A visit. The contractor looks at the tree, the ground, the gate, what's under the crown and where the wires run, then writes up the work and the price.
- Paperwork, if any. A permit or approval for a public tree in Lebanon or Mason, Springboro's protected-tree permit, a service-line shutoff from the utility, and an OHIO811 ticket if the ground will be disturbed.
- The work day. Cones at the curb, the landing zone cleared, limbs and then the trunk taken down, brush chipped or loaded.
- Cleanup. Wood hauled, chipped or left in rounds; the stump left low or ground; the yard raked.
Questions to ask about the job
These questions are about the work itself. The answers belong in writing.
- Which trees, and what exactly happens to each? "Remove the dead ash by the back fence" or "take the two lowest limbs off the maple over the driveway" is clearer than "tree work."
- How will it come down, and where will the pieces land? Felled whole, taken down in sections, or worked from a lift? What's the plan for the roof, deck, fence, gutters and the neighbor's yard?
- Is any of it a public tree? In Lebanon, work on a public tree needs a right-of-way permit from the Director of Service, and the code counts the tree lawn as part of the street. In Mason, a tree on city property needs the City Manager's approval first. Who applies, and who pays for it? (Checked Nov 10, 2026.)
- Who calls the utility about the service line? Lebanon will temporarily shut off a service line during normal business hours with two business days' notice at (513) 228-3210. Duke asks for a call to de-energize before work near a service drop. AES Ohio's crews leave the service line to the owner (checked Nov 10, 2026).
- Who places the OHIO811 ticket if a stump is being ground? OHIO811 says the person doing the work submits it, at least two working days ahead, not counting the day of the call (checked Nov 10, 2026).
- What happens to the wood and brush? Hauled, chipped on site, or left in rounds? If anything is left for city pickup, will it meet the city's rules?
- What about the stump? Left low, or ground? If ground, are the chips raked out and the hole filled?
- What happens if they find a surprise, such as a hollow trunk, a buried line or a nail in the wood?
- When do they start and finish, and what happens if weather pushes the date?
- When is payment due, and how much before the work is done?
What the written agreement should say
The Ohio Attorney General's office advises getting a written contract that covers "the costs, the work to be done, the starting and end dates" (August 2024). For tree work, that means the agreement should spell out:
| Item | What to write down |
|---|---|
| The trees | Each tree by location and kind, and whether it's removed, trimmed, or how much is cut |
| The price | A total, and what's included: hauling, chipping, grinding, any lift or crane |
| The dates | A start date and an end date, and what happens in bad weather |
| Permits and calls | Who gets any city permit or approval, who calls the utility, who places the OHIO811 ticket |
| Protection | How the house, deck, fence, driveway, lawn and plantings will be kept from damage |
| The wood | Hauled, chipped, left in rounds, or left at the curb in city-ready lengths |
| The stump | Left, or ground, and whether the hole is backfilled |
| Payment | How much is due and when, in stages as the work gets done |
On payment, the Attorney General's advice is to avoid "large payments in advance," to pay in stages as the work progresses (for example, a third at the start, a third midway and the rest at completion), and to consider paying by credit card (August 2024).
Ohio's three-day rule for sales at your door
If a tree job is sold to you in person at your home, Ohio's Home Solicitation Sales Act likely applies. It covers consumer sales of $25 or more that involve a personal sales pitch at the buyer's residence. Under it, according to the Attorney General's business guide (checked Nov 10, 2026):
- You have until midnight of the third business day to cancel.
- The seller must give you a copy of the signed agreement, with the date and the seller's name and address, plus a notice-of-cancellation form.
- If you cancel, the seller must refund you within 10 days of getting your notice.
- The seller may not begin the work until the three-day period ends.
The emergency exception. Ohio Revised Code 1345.21 leaves out sales where the buyer started the contact, the work deals with "a bona fide immediate personal emergency" that threatens health, safety or property, and the buyer gives a separate, dated statement, handwritten and signed, giving up the right to cancel (checked Nov 10, 2026). A tree on the roof can be that kind of emergency. Before you write such a statement, be sure you want this particular crew, at this price, right now.
After a storm
Storms bring new trucks into town. In August 2024, the Ohio Attorney General's office warned that "unscrupulous contractors are known to travel to storm-damaged communities" and that "typically, they go door to door, claiming that they can complete the work immediately." It reminded homeowners that for door-to-door sales "you generally have three days to cancel."
Ohio also has no law aimed at price gouging. The Attorney General said in March 2020, "We don't have a price gouging law in Ohio," and a July 14, 2026 report from 13abc says that is still the case; the state's ban on unconscionable sales practices applies instead (checked Nov 10, 2026). So agree on the price in writing before anyone starts.
If the tree hit the house, the insurance steps come first: call your insurer, photograph the damage and keep receipts for any emergency repairs. The storm guide covers what policies usually pay.
Warning signs in a sales pitch
Drawn from the Attorney General's storm advice and Ohio's home solicitation law:
- A request for a large payment before any work is done.
- No written contract, or one without the costs, the work and the dates.
- A knock on the door with a promise to do the work immediately, the pitch the Attorney General describes.
- An offer to start right away on a deal made at your door, without the three-day wait or the handwritten emergency waiver the law requires.
- No notice-of-cancellation form on a door-to-door sale.
If something goes wrong, the Attorney General takes complaints about unfair sales practices at 800-282-0515 and at OhioProtects.org (checked Nov 10, 2026).
Hiring questions
How much should I pay before the work starts?
The Ohio Attorney General's office advises against large payments in advance and suggests paying in stages as the work progresses. Settle the schedule in the written agreement.
A crew came to my door after a storm and I signed. Can I cancel?
For a sale of $25 or more made at your home, generally yes, until midnight of the third business day, unless you started the contact and signed a separate handwritten emergency waiver (checked Nov 10, 2026).
Who gets the city permit, me or the contractor?
Lebanon's code says "no person, or contractor" may start work on a public tree without the Director's right-of-way permit. The rule covers both of you, so agree in writing who applies and who pays (checked Nov 10, 2026).
Should the agreement mention the stump and the wood?
Yes. Grinding, hauling and chipping are often priced separately, and Mason and Springboro limit what their curbside pickups will take (checked Nov 10, 2026). If it isn't written down, don't assume it's included.
Where do I report a problem with a tree job?
The Ohio Attorney General's office, at 800-282-0515 or OhioProtects.org (checked Nov 10, 2026).
This site hands each request to one independent contractor working in Warren County. The price, permits, scheduling and the work itself are settled between you and them.
Sources
- Ohio Revised Code 1345.21; Ohio Attorney General, door-to-door sales. Checked Nov 10, 2026.
- Ohio Attorney General, "Severe Weather Brings Out Scammers" (Aug 9, 2024) and March 19, 2020 release; 13abc, July 14, 2026. Checked Nov 10, 2026.
- City of Lebanon, 907.03 and line clearance; City of Mason, Chapter 939 (revised Nov 18, 2013) and brush collection; City of Springboro, 280.03 and trash. Checked Nov 10, 2026.
- AES Ohio, what to expect; Duke Energy, tree trimming practices; OHIO811 homeowners. Checked Nov 10, 2026.