Novi, MI Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

City Code § 37-26 makes it unlawful to remove, damage or destroy any tree or similar woody vegetation of any diameter within a regulated woodland site, to remove any designated historic or specimen tree, or to conduct land clearing or grubbing, without first obtaining a use permit from the community development department. A final approved subdivision plat or site plan can itself satisfy the permit requirement. Applicants submit a site plan identifying trees of eight inches DBH or larger by species and condition, often prepared by a certified arborist, along with a fee set by council resolution; the parks and forestry operations manager and community development director review the application and report to the planning commission, which grants or denies it.

Section 37-27 exempts limited activities from the permit: transplanting up to three trees per parcel per year, removing one tree under eight inches DBH once a certificate of occupancy has issued, removing dead or storm-damaged trees under ANSI standards, registered farming and forestry operations, and emergency utility repairs, provided a report on the emergency work reaches the planning commission within 14 days. Under § 37-32, permitted work must begin within six months and the permit lapses after twelve months regardless of progress. A denied or conditioned application can be appealed to the city council within ten calendar days under § 37-31, which suspends the permit decision pending the outcome.