License check
How to check a tree service company's license in Suffolk or Nassau
A license number takes a minute to check and tells you the company can legally do the work. Here is who issues it in each county, where to look it up, and what else to ask, from the official pages we read on 2026-11-03.
In Suffolk County
- Suffolk's home improvement law covers arboriculture, which it defines to mean tree sprayers, tree pruners, tree stump removers and all other tree services, and a county license is required unless an exemption applies.
- On its licensing page, Suffolk Consumer Affairs includes arborists and tree services in the home improvement trades.
- 1Step 1Suffolk's License and Complaint Violation Look Up searches a tree service's Home Improvement License by the business name or the license number.
- 2Step 2Tree service licenses in Suffolk are confirmed over the phone by Consumer Affairs, (631) 853-4600.
In Nassau County
- Nassau Consumer Affairs requires a county license for tree surgery, which appears on its home improvement list.
- 1Step 1Nassau's Valid Business License Search, headed Search Businesses With Valid Licenses, is where a tree service's county license is checked.
Towns with a license of their own
- Town of Shelter Island: Shelter Island's notice to contractors says every contractor or subcontractor working on the island, landscapers included, needs a town license.
Beyond the license
- Ask for a certificate of insurance sent to you by the insurer, naming you as the certificate holder.
- Ask who files the permit and books the inspections, and get it in the contract.
- Get the price, the scope, the start and finish dates and the payment schedule in a written contract.
Related
Questions homeowners ask
Do I need a permit to cut down a tree on Long Island?
Some towns and villages require one. The town pages below quote what each official page says.
Who handles a tree on power lines?
Stay away from it and call the electric utility. Work near energized lines is for crews trained and cleared for it.
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from these official pages. Rules and fees change, so confirm with the office before you file anything.
- Suffolk County Consumer Affairs, Home Improvement License Law (PDF) (read 2026-11-03; page dated 5/25)
- Suffolk County Consumer Affairs, Licensing and Enforcement (read 2026-11-03)
- Suffolk County, License and Complaint Violation Look Up (read 2026-11-03)
- Nassau County Consumer Affairs, Who Must Be Licensed? (read 2026-11-03)
- Nassau County Consumer Affairs, Valid Business License Search (read 2026-11-03)
- Town of Shelter Island, Notice to All Contractors (read 2026-11-03)
Checked 2026-11-03. Facts come only from the official pages listed, read on that date.
Talk the job through before you call anyone
Tell us about the house and the job in about four minutes. Revival calls you, free, to go over the scope, the budget, the timing and your town's permit office. Contractor matches open as our first licensed partners sign.