Cleveland, OH Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Cleveland, OH, sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances, list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Cleveland Codified Ordinances § 509.01
- Permit authority
- Director of Public Properties
- Fine for § 509.01 violation
- Up to $100 per offense
- Fine for killing a tree (§ 509.02/509.04/509.10)
- Up to $1,000 per offense
- Continuing violations
- Each day is a separate offense
Summary
Cleveland Codified Ordinances § 509.01 bars anyone from cutting, breaking, climbing or injuring a public street tree, or damaging its protective devices, without a written permit from the Director of Public Properties. Fines reach $100 per offense, and Chapter 509 backs this with rules on soil poisoning, wires and animal damage.
No person, firm or corporation without a written permit from the Director of Public Properties shall cut, break, climb or injure any tree or portion of tree planted or growing in any public highway within the City ... or injure, misuse or remove ... any device set for the protection of any tree or plant in any public highway of the City.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-28: Current through legislation passed September 1, 2026).
Full Breakdown
01 states no person, firm or corporation without a written permit from the Director of Public Properties shall cut, break, climb or injure any tree or portion of a tree planted or growing in any public highway within the City, or authorize or procure anyone else to do so, and the same permit requirement covers injuring, misusing or removing any device set for a tree's protection. Anyone wanting to prune, treat or trim a public-highway tree for a lawful purpose can apply to the Director, who may issue a written permit if the proposed method and workmanship are acceptable; any work must strictly follow the permit's terms.
12 bars tying animals to trees or letting them cause injury. 07 separately gives the Director of Public Properties broad authority to plant, trim, preserve and remove trees on City streets, alleys and public grounds for safety or to protect unsafe, pest-infested or sewer-damaging trees. 99(e).
Violations & Fines
A permit-less cutting, breaking, climbing or injuring of a public tree under § 509.01 is fined up to $100 per offense under § 509.99(a). Related Chapter 509 violations scale by severity, from $500 for soil-obstruction or wire-attachment violations to $1,000 for killing or destroying a public tree, and every day a violation continues counts as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I trim a street tree in front of my Cleveland house myself?
What's the fine for damaging a Cleveland street tree without a permit?
Does Cleveland regulate what can go around the base of a street tree?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cleveland
Compare Cleveland to another location·View the Ohio landscaping rules overview
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Tree Removal & Heritage Trees in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Cuyahoga County handle tree removal & heritage trees.