Colorado Springs, CO Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Colorado Springs, 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
- Governing code
- Urban Forest Code, City Code Article 9, Ch. 3
- Effective date
- August 10, 2026 (Ord. 26-30)
- Permit issuer
- City Forester
- Permit needed for
- Plant, prune, remove, injure a City tree
- Civil liability
- Appraised value of damaged City tree
- Max criminal penalty
- $2,500 fine / 189 days jail
Summary
It is unlawful to plant, prune, remove, destroy or otherwise injure a City tree without a City Forester's permit. Ordinance 26-30, effective August 10, 2026, moved this rule into a new Urban Forest Code, Article 9 of Chapter 3, replacing the former Chapter 4 tree article.
Permit Required: A permit is required for the following acts: (1) To plant a tree on a right-of-way; (2) To prune, control insects and diseases, remove, destroy, cut, deface, or in any way injure or modify a City tree; and (3) To install impervious hard surfacing around a tree in a right-of-way. ... UNLAWFUL ACTS: (A) It is unlawful for any person to plant, prune, control insects and diseases, remove, destroy, cut, deface, or in any way injure or modify a City tree. (B) It is unlawful for any person to violate the requirements of City Code §§ 3.9.201 or 3.9.202. (C) It is an affirmative defense to a violation of this section that the person was granted a City Forester's permit to perform that action.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-21: Code current through: Ord. 26-23, passed June 9, 2026).
Full Breakdown
The City repealed its old Parks-chapter tree ordinance (former Article 4 of Chapter 4) and re-enacted it as Article 9, 'Urban Forest Code,' of Chapter 3 (Public Property and Public Works) under Ordinance 26-30, finally passed July 28, 2026 and effective August 10, 2026. Section 3.9.104(A) requires a City Forester's permit before anyone plants a tree in a right-of-way, prunes, removes, destroys, cuts, defaces or otherwise modifies a 'City tree', one the City Forester approved and planted, or that is in the City's tree inventory, or installs impervious hard surfacing around a right-of-way tree.
Section 3.9.204 makes it a standalone unlawful act to plant, prune, control insects and diseases, remove, destroy, cut, deface or in any way injure or modify a City tree, and separately makes it unlawful to violate the property-owner duties of Sections 3.9.201 (duties of property owners, including removing non-approved or unpermitted right-of-way vegetation) or 3.9.202 (maintenance standards, including sign-visibility and street/sidewalk clearance). Holding a valid City Forester's permit is an affirmative defense to a 3.9.204 charge. The City Forester, under the Director of Public Works, enforces the article and may enter property to inspect for disease, hazard or unlawful modification under Section 3.9.303, using a Municipal Court warrant if entry is refused.
Damaging or removing a City tree also creates civil liability: under Section 3.9.203 the responsible property owner or other person owes the City the tree's appraised value under the Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers' Guide for Plant Appraisal, billable directly or through a property lien, and that cost is separate from and in addition to any criminal penalty. Criminal violations of 3.9.204 or of the enforcement-procedure unlawful acts in 3.9.310 (failing to comply with a notice-and-order or emergency abatement order) are punished under the Code's General Penalty, Section 1.1.201: a fine of up to $2,500.00, up to 189 days in jail, probation, or a combination.
Violations & Fines
Planting, pruning, removing or otherwise injuring a City tree without a City Forester's permit, or violating the maintenance duties of Sections 3.9.201-3.9.202, is a misdemeanor under Section 3.9.204 punished per the General Penalty, Section 1.1.201: up to a $2,500.00 fine, up to 189 days in jail, or both. Damage to a City tree also triggers separate civil liability for its appraised value under Section 3.9.203.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in the Colorado Springs right-of-way?
What is a 'City tree' under Colorado Springs' Urban Forest Code?
What happens if I damage a City tree?
When did Colorado Springs move its tree rules out of the Parks chapter?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Colorado Springs
How Colorado Springs compares: Cities with the Strictest Tree Removal Rules·Compare Colorado Springs to another location·View the Colorado landscaping rules overview
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