Tree Protection in Sioux Falls, SD (2026)
5 verified tree protection rules for Sioux Falls, South Dakota, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Tree Removal Permits
Sioux Falls Chapter 94 (Forestry) regulates public and right-of-way trees. No permit is required to remove a tree on private property in residential zones, but Section 94.015 declares dead, diseased, or insect-infested trees a public nuisance, and the city may compel removal. Public trees, parkway/boulevard trees, and any work in the right-of-way require permission from the City Forester (Parks & Recreation Forestry Division). Trimming or removing ash trees inside the EAB quarantine area is prohibited between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Tree Removal Permits in Sioux Falls
Some RestrictionsHeritage & Protected Trees
Sioux Falls does not have a formal heritage-tree or specimen-tree ordinance. No city designation of individual trees by size, age, or species triggers private-property removal restrictions. The city instead protects its tree canopy through the public/parkway-tree program (Chapter 94, administered by the City Forester) and through landscape requirements for new developments under Zoning § 160.485. South Dakota has no statewide heritage-tree statute.
Heritage / Specimen Tree Protection in Sioux Falls
Few RestrictionsTree Replacement Requirements
Tree replacement is required under Zoning Code § 160.485 (Landscape Standards) for new development and major redevelopment: one shade tree per 50 feet of street frontage (or one tree per six parking spaces, whichever is greater), with deciduous shade trees at a minimum 2-inch caliper. The city also operates a Street Tree Voucher / CommuniTree Program offering $100 per approved replacement tree planted in the boulevard. There is no general 1-for-1 replacement mandate for healthy private trees removed outside of development.
Tree Replacement Requirements in Sioux Falls
Some RestrictionsProtected Tree Species
Sioux Falls does not protect any tree species from removal on private property. Instead, the city regulates which species may be PLANTED in the public right-of-way (parkway/boulevard) under Chapter 94 and the City Forester's approved-species list. Certain species are effectively banned from the boulevard (notably new ash plantings, due to EAB) and from landscape compliance plantings. South Dakota's only state-level tree-pest authority is administered by DANR.
Protected Tree Species in Sioux Falls
Few RestrictionsParkway Planting
Under Sioux Falls Code § 94.038, no person may plant a tree in the public right-of-way (the boulevard/parkway between the curb and sidewalk) without a Street Tree Planting Permit from the City Forester. Only species on the city's approved list may be planted, and no tree may be planted where the parking strip between curb and sidewalk is less than 5 feet wide. Property owners are responsible for maintaining the parkway trees fronting their property.
Parkway / Boulevard Tree Planting in Sioux Falls
Heavy RestrictionsLooking for Minnehaha County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Sioux Falls city rules.
Tree Protection in Minnehaha County →