Oklahoma City, OK Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Oklahoma City, OK, sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances, list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Key Facts
- Permit issuer
- Enforcement officer over that City property
- Covered location
- Public property, parkways, street rights-of-way
- Governing law
- Code of Forestry, Chapter 53
- Penalty
- Each day is a separate offense
Summary
Removing, cutting, or trimming any tree, plant, or shrub on public property in Oklahoma City, including parkways and street rights-of-way, requires a permit from the City's enforcement officer under the Code of Forestry.
No person shall remove, destroy, break, cut, deface, trim, or in any way injure or interfere with any tree, plant, or shrub located on public property without a permit issued by the enforcement officer. All such removal or trimming shall be done in a manner that will not deface or injure the trees and the same shall be done in accordance with the directions of the enforcement officer.
(Code 1970, § 21-160; Code 1980, § 53-3)
State Law reference— Authority of abutting property owners relative to trees on public property, 11 O.S. § 36-107.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 5 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Oklahoma City's Code of Forestry (Chapter 53, Article I) bars anyone from removing, destroying, breaking, cutting, defacing, trimming, or otherwise interfering with a tree, plant, or shrub on public property without a permit from the enforcement officer: the City official over the department managing that property, typically Parks and Recreation. This covers parkway strips and street rights-of-way between a homeowner's property line and the curb, not trees on private lots. A companion section, § 53-2, requires the same approval before planting anything on public property, and § 53-4 requires a permit before attaching wires to a public tree. Permitted work must follow the enforcement officer's directions and avoid defacing or injuring the tree.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 53's general violations clause (§ 53-75) makes each day of an ongoing violation, and each separate infraction at a different location, its own separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in my own yard in Oklahoma City?
Who issues the public tree removal permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Oklahoma City
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Tree Removal & Heritage Trees in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle tree removal & heritage trees.