Dearborn, MI Invasive Plant Rules: Tree-of-Heaven Removal (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing rule
- Undesirable plant material list
- Species named
- Tree of Heaven, ash, willow, poplar
- Applies to
- Required compliance landscaping only
- List can grow
- City may add species
Summary
Dearborn's zoning landscaping code flags Tree of Heaven as an undesirable species for required plantings, alongside ash, willow, box elder, and poplar.
Undesirable plant material. Use of the following plant materials (or their clones) is not encouraged because of susceptibility to storm damage, disease, and other undesirable characteristics... American Willow. Ash. Box Elder. Northern Catalpa. Poplar. Tree of Heaven. Willow.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-07: Code: Updated through: July 22, 2026 | Zoning: Updated through: July 22, 2026).
Full Breakdown
The Dearborn Zoning Ordinance's landscape-material standards list Tree of Heaven among seven undesirable plant species that should not be used to satisfy the City's required landscaping, buffering, or screening plantings, due to susceptibility to storm damage and disease. It is a discouragement for compliance landscaping, not a citywide ban on the tree existing on private property, and the City may add species to the list administratively.
Violations & Fines
Using Tree of Heaven to meet required landscaping obligates the applicant to substitute an approved species before site plan or landscaping approval is granted; no fine schedule is stated in this section.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I be forced to remove an existing Tree of Heaven in Dearborn?
Is Tree of Heaven banned in Dearborn?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dearborn
Compare Dearborn to another location·View the Michigan invasive plant rules overview
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Tree-of-Heaven Removal in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Wayne County handle tree-of-heaven removal.