Kenosha, WI Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

10 governs protected trees on lots of 20,000 square feet or larger, lots subject to a Conditional Use Permit or Subdivider's Agreement, and lots zoned B-2 or IP; it does not reach garages or additions on residential lots already improved with a dwelling. No one may remove a protected tree, build or construct on a lot containing one, or otherwise disturb land on such a lot without a Tree Protection Permit from the City Forester in the Department of Public Works; an owner claiming no protected tree exists on the parcel must file an executed statement to that effect.

Applications combine with the Building Permit filing where applicable and, for qualifying lots, must include a scaled tree location survey showing every tree three inches or larger in diameter, proposed removals, transplants, setbacks, and grade changes. The Forester may approve removal only where a landscape plan shows overall environmental and aesthetic improvement, or where the tree poses a safety hazard to traffic, utilities, buildings, or otherwise blocks reasonable development of the lot. Approved permits carry mandatory field conditions: red-flagging trees to be removed, erecting post-and-rail barricades at least 10 feet from the trunk or the dripline (whichever is greater), silt barriers where erosion could damage protected trees, a ban on storing equipment, debris, or fill within the tree protection zone, and a prohibition on trenching within the dripline (tunneling is allowed only 30 inches or deeper).

Removed trees must be replaced diameter-inch for diameter-inch, with at least one replacement tree required per 2,000 square feet of unimproved lot area, and replacements must be at least 8 feet tall and 2 inches in diameter, planted per International Society of Arboriculture standards, and established before a Certificate of Occupancy issues. The permit fee is set by the Board of Park Commissioners, and jumps 500 percent if work starts before a permit is obtained.