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

Loveland's UDC treats trees identified on an approved landscape plan as protected once development review locks them in. 01 requires a tree survey by a certified arborist, registered landscape architect, or registered land surveyor before any new development with a required landscape plan that would impact a significant tree; the Director of Development Services may accept a partial survey or a tree inventory where significant trees sit only in designated open space. 02 sets the preservation policy: existing significant trees and vegetation must be preserved to the maximum extent feasible, and a protected significant tree cannot come down unless it meets one of nine listed criteria and the City approves the removal, including epidemic insect or disease infestation, an extreme public nuisance from fruit drop or insect harboring, a severe safety hazard, interference with a more desirable tree, low or negative aesthetic value, obstruction of a sight-distance triangle, prohibited-species status confirmed by City inspection, or conflict with a utility corridor, ditch easement, or ditch property.

Where preservation is infeasible because no reasonable alternative site design exists and on-site relocation will not let the tree survive, the tree must be replaced on-site under subsection C. 03 requires construction fencing or similar protection against mechanical injury, bars any cut or fill deeper than four inches within the drip line or root area without a qualified arborist's evaluation and City approval, prohibits impervious paving, storage of materials, or waste disposal within the larger of the dripline or critical root zone, and requires that zone to be barricaded before grading begins and to stay barricaded through construction. These standards run through Development Services as part of site plan review, not as a stand-alone homeowner permit process.