Tree Protection in Indianapolis, IN (2026)
3 verified tree protection rules for Indianapolis, Indiana, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Heritage & Protected Trees
Removing a heritage tree anywhere in Indianapolis is illegal by default under Sec. 744-503.K, unless the Administrator, the city's Urban Forester, or the Director of Public Works makes one of four specific findings first, such as the tree being dead, hazardous, or blocking development that cannot be redesigned around it. Anyone who removes or loses a heritage tree also owes steep replacement plantings, up to 15 trees for the largest specimens.
Indianapolis Heritage Tree Removal Needs Justification
Significant RestrictionsZoning Ordinance of Indianapolis-Marion County, Chapter 744, Sec. 744-503.K (Heritage tree conservation)
K.Heritage tree conservation. Removal of any heritage tree is prohibited unless any of the following determinations are made before removal:1.The Administrator or the city's Urban Forester determines that the tree is dead, significantly and terminally diseased, a threat to public health or safety, or is of an undesirable or nuisance species.2.The Director of the Department of Public Works deter...
Protected Tree Species
The zoning code names 14 specific tree species, plus any oak, that qualify a tree over 18 inches DBH for mandatory heritage-tree removal protection under Sec. 740-202.
Indianapolis Heritage Tree Species List
Some RestrictionsZoning Ordinance of Indianapolis-Marion County, Chapter 740, Sec. 740-202 (Definitions - "Heritage tree")
Heritage tree: A tree over 18 inches diameter at breast height (DBH) and one of the heritage tree species. Heritage tree species include: Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum), Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata), Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis), Yellowwood (Cladrastus kentukea), American Beech (Fagus grandifolia), Kentucky Coffeetree (Gymnocladus diocia), Walnut or Butternut (Juglans), Tulip Poplar (Liriode...
Parkway Planting
Planting a shade or ornamental tree in an Indianapolis street, alley or public right-of-way requires prior species and location approval plus a special permit from the Division of Construction and Business Services.
Indianapolis Parkway Tree Planting Permit Required
Some RestrictionsRevised Code of the Consolidated City and County (Indianapolis - Marion County), Sec. 701-4(a) (Code 1975, § 30-4; G.O. 63, 2009, § 95; G.O. 10, 2010, § 3; G.O. 41, 2016, § 2)
No person shall plant any shade or ornamental flora on or in any portion of a public street, alley, right-of-way, place or park in the city, unless the department, after consultation with the department of parks and recreation and the department of public works, shall have first approved the kind or variety thereof and designated the location therefor, and a special permit for such planting has...