El Paso County, CO Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in El Paso County, CO, sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances, list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Key Facts
- Scope
- required parking lot trees only
- Requirement
- curbs, planters, or barriers
- Trigger
- lots with 15+ parking spaces
- No general rule
- no county-wide preservation ordinance
Summary
El Paso County's land code requires required parking lot trees be shielded from vehicle damage with curbs, planters, or barriers: the only mandatory tree-protection rule in the unincorporated area's land code.
Parking lot trees shall be protected from vehicle damage by curbs, planters or other barriers.
(4) Storm Drainage for Irrigation Encouraged. Parking lots designs that allow runoff to enter landscaped areas for irrigation and controlling non-point source pollution are encouraged.
(5) Required Parking Lot Screening. Parking lots shall be screened from view from adjacent roads and properties with differing land uses. The minimum height of the screening shall be 3 feet and may be accomplished by using berms and plantings. A minimum of ⅔ of the road frontage or common lot, parcel, or tract boundary, not counting intersecting driveways, shall be provided with the required screening. The maximum spacing of plants to achieve an acceptable screen and the maximum acceptable grades for screening areas, such as grass berms and plantings beds, should be consistent with the Landscaping and Planting Manual.
Decorative walls or fences may be approved if the Director finds that:
• The wall or fence avoids a blank and monotonous appearance by architectural articulation and the planting of vines, shrubs, or trees.
• The total use of berms or plantings is not physically feasible; or
• The wall or fence attractively compliments the use of berms or plantings.
(D) Required Buffer and Screen Areas.
(1) Buffer Between Non-Residential and Residential Districts Separated by a Non-Arterial Road or Public Alley.
(a)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Land Development Code: Supplement 3 | Drainage Criteria Manual: Publication | Engineering Criteria Manual: Supplement 3 | Ordinances: Reformat).
Full Breakdown
El Paso County's Land Development Code has no general tree-preservation or heritage-tree ordinance for unincorporated land. The one mandatory protection duty sits inside the parking lot landscaping standards: lots with 15 or more spaces must plant shade trees under § 6.2.2(C)(1), and once planted, § 6.2.2(C)(3) requires those parking lot trees be protected from vehicle damage using curbs, planters, or other barriers.
Violations & Fines
Failing to install required curbs, planters, or barriers around parking lot trees can draw a PCD notice of violation with 14 days to correct it under LDC § 11.3.2.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does El Paso County have a tree preservation ordinance?
What triggers the parking lot tree protection requirement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in El Paso County
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