Littleton, CO Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

Section 8-4-5 of the Littleton City Code makes it unlawful to remove a tree whose trunk exceeds 4 inches in diameter, measured 12 inches from the ground, on any public or private property in the city, excluding lots containing single-family residences, without first getting a written permit. The city manager or a designee reviews applications against approved land uses, landscaping, and other city plans. The definition of removal is broad: it covers destruction or displacement by cutting, bulldozing, or other mechanical or chemical means, and also covers pruning down more than 33% of a tree's size within any 365-day period.

Utilities regulated by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission are exempt from the removal restriction. There is no fee for the application form or the permit itself. The city grants removal permits only under specific conditions: the tree is diseased or dead, it endangers the public or an adjoining owner, removal is necessary for construction, overcrowding threatens tree health, or the tree significantly impedes water flow in a ditch, canal, storm sewer, or natural watercourse floodway. For diseased, hazardous, or overcrowded trees, and for trees removed for construction, the applicant must first show consideration of alternatives such as pruning or preserving the tree in the site layout.

B. The permit requirement can be waived by the city manager or a designee during emergencies or natural disasters such as windstorms, floods, lightning, or fire. A denied applicant may appeal within 10 days of mailed notice to the city's Appeals and Adjustment Commission for a de novo hearing, with the burden on the applicant, and the Commission's decision is final subject to judicial review.