Bowie, MD Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

Bowie City Code § 22-17, in Chapter 22, Streets and Sidewalks, prohibits any person from cutting, belting, destroying or injuring a tree or shrub located on a City street, park or other public place, or on private property, without the consent of the owner. The section protects both publicly owned street trees and privately owned trees and shrubs from unauthorized removal or damage, whether the actor is a neighbor, a contractor, a utility crew or a passerby; belting a tree, girdling its bark to kill it, is called out by name alongside outright cutting, destroying or injuring.

Because the rule sits in the same chapter as the City's street tree and beautification provisions, administered by the Beautification and Tree Preservation Committee and the City of Bowie Community Forester, a removal that also touches a City-planted street tree can draw scrutiny from both the Community Forester and the Parks and Grounds Superintendent, who separately determine whether a tree is a public nuisance under § 22-18B. Enforcement of § 22-17 itself follows § 22-19A: violations of Chapter 22 are municipal infractions subject to the penalty and enforcement provisions of Chapter 1, §§ 1-6 and 1-6A, meaning a City code enforcement officer can issue a citation carrying the default fine of $100 for a first offense and $200 for each repeat offense set by § 1-6C(9), since Chapter 22 does not set its own dollar amount for this particular section.

A person who receives a citation may request review by the Administrative Review Board within 15 days under Chapter 1A, pay the fine at City Hall within 20 days, or elect to stand trial in the District Court.