Roseville, MN Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Roseville, MN, 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
- City forester (public tree permit)
- Applies to
- Public boulevards, public property and right-of-way
- Denial notice
- Written reasons within 20 days of application
- Appeal path
- City tree board, then city council
- Replacement
- Forester can require relocation or replacement
- Security
- Posted bond or cash escrow, amount set by forester
Summary
No one can remove, trim, treat or plant a tree, shrub or herbaceous plant on a Roseville public boulevard without a public tree permit from the city forester. The forester can require replacement and a bond. Section 705.08 sets a 20 day written-denial deadline and an appeal path to the city tree board, then the city council.
(d) Abuse or mutilation. No person shall on public property and right-of-way: (1) Damage, cut, remove, carve, kill or injure trees, shrubs or herbaceous plants. (2) Trim, prune, remove, spray or otherwise treat trees, shrubs or herbaceous plants without first obtaining a public tree permit. ... (e) Public tree permits. (1) No person shall plant, remove or treat trees, shrubs or herbaceous plants on a public boulevard without first obtaining a public tree permit from the city forester. ... c. Replacement. As a condition to the granting of a tree removal permit, the city forester may require the applicant to relocate or replace trees, shrubs or herbaceous plants to be consistent with the public tree master plan. d. Bond requirements. A posted bond or cash escrow may be required in an amount to be determined by the city forester conditioned upon satisfactory compliance with the terms of the permit. ... f. Denial appeal. Any applicant adversely affected by the decision may appeal to the city tree board and, finally, to the city council.
Official source re-checked November 3, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 2).
Full Breakdown
The permit rule lives in § 705.08, the part of the Urban Forest Management chapter that governs planting or removing trees on public property. Subsection (d) forbids anyone on public property and right-of-way from damaging, cutting, removing, carving, killing or injuring trees, shrubs or herbaceous plants, and from trimming, pruning, removing, spraying or otherwise treating them without first obtaining a public tree permit. Subsection (e)(1) repeats the requirement for the boulevard, which § 705.03 defines as the property between the edge of the street and the property line. A public tree permit is defined there as written permission from the city to plant, trim, treat or remove a tree, shrub or herbaceous plant on city public land.
The application must state the number of plants, the location, the size and the specific species of each (§ 705.08(e)(2)a). The city forester issues the permit once the application complies with the public tree master plan and the section's requirements. As a condition of a removal permit, the forester can require the applicant to relocate or replace plants, and a posted bond or cash escrow can be required in an amount the forester sets. If a permit is denied, the written reasons must reach the applicant within 20 days of receipt of the application. Fees follow the city fee schedule (§ 705.17).
Section 705.08(f) exempts two situations from subsection (d): tree removal on public easements and rights-of-way by or for a government agency carrying out construction or improvements, and removal by a public utility of a tree with reasonable potential to endanger the facility's operation. Under § 705.18 the mayor, or the acting mayor in the mayor's absence, can waive the chapter's requirements in emergencies such as tornadoes, windstorms and floods.
The public tree permit applies to public property and boulevards. For private lots, § 705.09(5) requires pest-infested or hazardous trees to be treated or removed, and § 1011.04 requires a tree preservation plan when a plat, a new principal structure, a demolition permit or a grading permit is applied for. That section classes deciduous trees of 27 inches or more at diameter breast height as heritage trees.
Violations & Fines
Section 705.08 prints no fine of its own, so the default in § 102.01(a) is a misdemeanor with a fine not to exceed $1,000.00, imprisonment not to exceed 90 days, or both, plus costs of prosecution. Section 705.19 makes it unlawful to prevent, delay or interfere with enforcement of the chapter by any city official. An applicant adversely affected by a permit decision can appeal to the city tree board and finally to the city council.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to remove the tree between the sidewalk and the street in Roseville?
Can the city make me replace a tree I remove?
What happens if my tree permit is denied?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Roseville
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Tree Removal & Heritage Trees in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle tree removal & heritage trees.