Coon Rapids, MN Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

City Code Section 10-504, part of Chapter 10-500 governing trees in public rights-of-way, bars removing a healthy, living tree in a public right-of-way without first getting the City Forester's permission. An applicant applies on forms the Forester provides. If the request stems from a tree's roots penetrating utility lines, the Forester must consult the Public Services Director before deciding whether removal is needed; if both agree removal is necessary, the Forester issues a permit that states the work to be done and expires in six months.

The code is explicit that mere inconvenience is not a valid reason for removal, so routine complaints about leaves, shade, or sap are not grounds for a permit. Section 10-509 carves out one exclusion: licensed contractors performing work under a City-ordered public improvement contract do not need a Section 10-504 permit. The Forester also polices private trees that threaten public safety: under Section 10-507, if a private tree or shrub is a public nuisance, diseased, or endangers health or safety, the Forester must notify the owner in writing to spray, remove, or otherwise abate it within a stated period, no less than ten days unless immediate correction is necessary.

If the owner refuses, the City can abate the nuisance itself and bill the cost against the property. Section 10-506 separately bars injuring, cutting, or excavating near a public tree without a Forester permit, and Section 10-508 makes it unlawful to interfere with the Forester's crews doing authorized work.