Georgetown, KY Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

Section 42-32 says no person shall commence or proceed with any operation involving a public tree without first obtaining a permit from the city. The permit is free, but appropriate fines, penalties and compensatory payments will be levied if work is performed on public trees without an approved permit. Section 42-30(1) backs this up: except as authorized by permit issued by the city, no person can damage, cut, carve, prune or remove any public tree. Section 42-19 defines street trees as woody vegetation on land lying between property lines on either side of all streets, avenues or ways, and park trees as woody vegetation in public parks and on city-owned areas to which the public has free access as a park. It also defines "remove" as the cutting down or damaging, whether by deliberate or negligent act or omission, of any tree which causes the tree to die or become hazardous within three years.

The application is filed in the form the city prescribes. When the work involves removing a public tree, section 42-33(b) requires plans and specifications showing the location, size, species and condition of all existing public trees within 15 feet of all work activities. Under section 42-34 the city must approve or disapprove within 15 business days of filing, must give the reason in writing if it rejects the application, and an application with no action within 15 days is deemed approved. Permits can be issued on an individual job basis or, for public utilities doing routine work, on an annual basis.

Section 42-42 sets the price of removing a tree without authority. The person who removed it must replace it with a tree of equivalent value on public property in proximity to the removed tree. The city tree board considers the species, location, size and condition of the tree and determines its value. If no suitable location exists in proximity, or the replacement is of lesser value, the person must pay the city the difference in value. A public tree that is damaged but not enough to justify removal is considered devalued, and the person causing the damage pays the amount of devaluation. The money goes into a fund restricted to urban forestry programs.

Private property is reached by section 42-37. The city has the right to cause the removal of dead or diseased trees on private property when they constitute a hazard to life and property, or harbor insects or disease that threaten other trees in the city. The mayor or a designee notifies the owner in writing, and the owner removes the tree at the owner's own expense within 30 days after the date of service. If the owner fails to comply, the city can remove the tree and charge the cost by any reasonable means, including the owner's property tax notice.