Lewisville, TX Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

Chapter 13's tree article defines 'city-managed property' as parks, public rights-of-way and any other property the city owns or holds a contractual interest in (Section 13-61), and Section 13-62 gives the city manager authority and control over every tree, plant and shrub on that property, directing a city department to run a tree management program and to pursue Tree City USA participation. Section 13-63(a) lets the city manager plant, preserve, spray, trim, cable or remove any tree on city-managed property for any reason, including an unsafe condition, injury to sewer pipes, utility lines, drainage facilities or pavement, infestation, or harm to the common good.

Section 13-63(b) is the flip side for the public: it is an offense for any person to plant or remove or allow or cause to be planted or removed any tree, shrub or plant on or from any city-managed property without the prior written approval of the city manager. That written-approval requirement applies to parks and public rights-of-way, not to a resident's own private yard; Section 13-63(c) separately routes right-of-way tree maintenance to the Section 9-57 vegetative-growth standard, and Section 13-63(d) exempts the city and its contractors when construction plans for right-of-way or utility work have already been approved.

A related but distinct offense, Section 13-64, bars anyone without lawful authority from willfully injuring, defacing or destroying a tree or shrub located either on private ground or on any public place or city-managed property, with franchised utility companies exempted if they hold an easement and give the director advance written notice before pruning.