Bellevue, NE Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Bellevue, NE, sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances, list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Key Facts
- Permit needed for
- removal of a healthy street tree
- Permitting body
- City Tree Board
- How to apply
- mail request to permits and inspections office
- Replacement deadline
- 30 days of removal
- Missed-replacement penalty
- 3x cost of replacement tree
- Immediate-threat risk trees
- removed with no appeal
Summary
In the City of Bellevue, Nebraska, a healthy street tree cannot be removed without permission from the City Tree Board under Bellevue Code § 29.5-26(D). Approved removals require a same-species replacement within 30 days, at the owner's expense, and skipping the replacement triggers a penalty of triple the replacement tree's cost.
(D) Healthy tree. If a person wants to remove a healthy street tree, they must obtain permission from the city tree board. Requests shall be submitted to the city tree board by mailing the permits and inspections office. If the city tree board denies the request, the healthy tree cannot be removed. If the city tree board grants the request, the tree may be removed at the owner’s expense and another tree will be planted to replace the healthy tree. The tree may be replaced on the original property or in a city park, if so approved. Within 30 days of the removal of the healthy tree, the replacement tree must be planted or a monetary contribution determined by the tree board given to the city. Failure to replace the healthy tree will result in a monetary penalty of three times the cost of the approved replacement tree.
Full Breakdown
Bellevue Code of Ordinances § 29.5-26 splits tree removal into several tracks. Subsection (A) lets the city remove any "risk tree" that is unsafe or injures sewers, power lines, gas lines, water lines, or other public improvements, or is infected with fungus, insects, or other pests; if the risk tree poses an immediate threat, "no appeal process is available and the tree shall be removed immediately." Subsection (B) gives the city the same authority over dead or diseased trees on private property that threaten life, property, or spread disease, citing §§ 29.5-5 through 29.5-12 for the underlying nuisance authority.
Subsection (C) lets the city require street and park tree stumps to be cut to eight inches below grade so nothing protrudes and no sprouting occurs. The permit track that matters for a private owner wanting to take down a healthy street tree is subsection (D): the owner must obtain permission from the City Tree Board, with requests submitted by mailing the permits and inspections office. A denial is final and the tree cannot be removed. If the board grants the request, removal is at the owner's expense, and a replacement tree must go in either on the original property or in a city park, at the board's discretion, within 30 days, or the owner can instead pay a monetary contribution the board sets.
Subsection (E) applies a similar one-for-one replacement rule to trees removed from city parks and public grounds, with the parks department and Tree Board setting details, except after a natural disaster or multi-tree disaster event.
Violations & Fines
Failing to replace a healthy street tree removed under § 29.5-26(D) within the 30-day window, or in lieu of paying the board-set contribution, "will result in a monetary penalty of three times the cost of the approved replacement tree." Removing a healthy street tree without Tree Board permission at all is not separately priced in this section, so it falls to the citywide general penalty in § 1-11: up to a $500 fine, up to six months imprisonment, or both, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need city approval to remove a healthy street tree in Bellevue?
What happens after the Tree Board approves removing a healthy tree?
Can Bellevue remove a dangerous tree on my property without my consent?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bellevue
Compare Bellevue to another location·View the Nebraska landscaping rules overview
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