Cranston, RI Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Cranston, RI, sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances, list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Key Facts
- Permit authority
- Cranston tree warden
- Fine
- $100–$500 per tree/shrub
- Scope
- Public ways and municipal land only
- Enforced by
- Cranston Police Department
- City-removal notice
- 10 days posted, hearing on objection
Summary
Cutting, removing, or pruning a tree on a Cranston public way or municipal property requires the tree warden's written permission. Violators face a $100 to $500 fine per tree and a court-ordered replacement.
no person or agent of a firm or corporation shall remove, cut down, prune, willfully injure, or deface any shrub or tree within the limits of any public way or municipal land without the written permission of the tree warden of the city of Cranston.
B. Any person, firm or corporation removing, cutting down, or damaging any tree located along a municipal city roadway shall, in addition to any fine levied, replace the tree with a hardy young tree of a similar kind in the same general location of the tree cut down or removed. Said replant of the replacement tree shall be to the satisfaction and under the direction of the city's tree warden.
C. Any person, firm or corporation violating subsection (A) shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100.00) and not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) for each offense.
D. Each offense as set forth in subsection (C) shall be defined as each individual shrub, tree or other planting.
E. This section shall be enforced by the Cranston police department and summons issued shall be returnable to the Cranston municipal court. (Ord. 06-17 § 1)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4824304; v14 updated 2026-05-18).
Full Breakdown
Cranston's tree ordinance reaches trees within public ways and on municipal land: it does not regulate what a homeowner cuts on private property. Removing, cutting down, pruning, willfully injuring, or defacing a shrub or tree within a public way or on municipal land without the tree warden's written permission is a violation enforced by the Cranston Police Department, with summonses returnable to Cranston Municipal Court. Each shrub or tree removed or damaged counts as a separate offense, carrying a fine of $100 to $500, and the violator must replace the tree with a comparable hardy young tree at the same general location, to the tree warden's satisfaction. When the tree warden orders removal or pruning of a city-controlled tree, ten days' posted notice is required unless the tree is an imminent hazard, and objectors can demand a hearing before the tree warden.
Violations & Fines
Unpermitted removal, cutting, pruning, or damage to a public-way or municipal tree: $100–$500 fine per tree or shrub, plus mandatory replacement with a comparable tree at the same spot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in my own yard in Cranston?
What's the penalty for cutting down a Cranston street tree without permission?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cranston
Compare Cranston to another location·View the Rhode Island landscaping rules overview
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Tree Removal & Heritage Trees in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle tree removal & heritage trees.