Mesa, AZ Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Mesa, AZ, sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances, list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Key Facts
- Large trees (36-inch box) required
- At least 25% of required trees
- Mid-size trees (24-inch box) required
- At least 50% of required trees
- Minimum tree size allowed
- 15-gallon
- Full shading deadline for shade trees
- 8 years
- Thorny plant setback from sidewalks
- 7 feet
- Liability for dead required plants
- Owner/occupant/lessee, joint and several
Summary
Mesa's landscaping ordinance sets minimum tree sizes for new development, a quarter of required trees must be 36-inch box or larger and half 24-inch box, with none smaller than 15-gallon, plus species-diversity caps and mandatory replacement of any tree that dies.
B.Tree Size. Required trees shall be the minimum size specified below:1.A minimum of 25% of the total required trees shall be 36-inch or larger box trees.2.A minimum of 50% of the total required trees shall be 24-inch box trees.3.No trees shall be smaller than 15-gallon size. ... G.Selection of Plant Materials... 3.Shading Requirements. Trees designated to meet shading requirements shall provide at least 50% of the required shading within four (4) years and the full shading within eight (8) years. ... H.Maintenance of Landscaping...2.Dead or Dying Landscape Material. In the event a plant specified as required on an approved landscape plan dies or is removed, the property owner and or occupant or lessee are jointly responsible and shall replace the plant with one of a similar species with a similar size as specified in the approved landscape plan.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 22).
Full Breakdown
Mesa City Code § 11-33-2, General Requirements of Chapter 33 (Landscaping), governs the trees a development must plant. Subsection B, Tree Size, requires that at least 25% of all required trees be 36-inch box or larger, at least 50% be 24-inch box, and that no required tree be smaller than 15-gallon size. Subsection D requires that 50% of all required open space contain live plant material, cross-referencing Table 11-33-2-E, which assigns square-footage credit by plant type, 100 square feet for a 25-foot evergreen tree, 50 for a shade tree, 25 for an ornamental tree, to score how a site meets that live-material threshold.
4 scales the minimum number of species and the maximum share any single species may occupy by how many plants of that type appear on the landscape plan, running from one species permitted at 100% for 1-4 plants up to 15 species required, capped at 15% each, once a plan reaches 1,000-plus plants of a type. Subsection G(2) also bars placing thorny trees and shrubs within seven feet of sidewalks or vehicular roadways or within three feet of median island curbing, with narrow exceptions for controlled locations like plazas.
Maintenance duties survive installation: Subsection H requires an irrigation system for every landscaped area, and if a required plant 'dies or is removed,' the property owner, occupant, or lessee must replace it with one of similar species and size to what the approved landscape plan specified. Landscaping must be installed under adequate precautions to ensure survival before a certificate of occupancy issues (Subsection I).
Violations & Fines
Subsection H(4) states plainly that a 'lack of maintenance...shall constitute a violation of this Ordinance,' and the property owner and/or occupant or lessee are held jointly and severally liable for any infraction of Chapter 33's requirements, including failure to replace a dead or dying required plant with a similarly sized specimen of the same species.
Frequently Asked Questions
What size trees does Mesa require on new development sites?
Does Mesa require a variety of tree and plant species?
What happens if a required tree dies in Mesa?
Can thorny trees be planted near Mesa sidewalks?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mesa
Compare Mesa to another location·View the Arizona landscaping rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Tree Removal & Heritage Trees in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Maricopa County handle tree removal & heritage trees.