Yellowstone County, MT Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

Section 27-1207.A limits the entire tree protection article to projects where "the developer and designer intend to acquire landscape or bonus points for retained trees and landscaping"; outside that opt-in bonus scheme, the zoning code sets no tree removal permit and no protected-tree list for private landowners. For a project that does seek the bonus credit, any tree banked for preservation must be ringed with a temporary fluorescent fence at the drip line before any grading begins, built and maintained at a minimum four feet above grade for the entire construction period, and marked so inspectors can identify it. Storage of equipment, materials, or soil is barred inside the fenced area, underground utility work must tunnel from both directions at least two feet below the root zone rather than trench through it, and grading cuts for foundations must stay outside the fence. The owner or developer, not the county, is responsible for building and maintaining that fencing, and it can only come down with the zoning coordinator's written permission or approval of the final landscaping inspection.

The one duty that reaches beyond the bonus-point paperwork is Section 27-1207.G: if land is cleared and construction does not begin within nine months of the zoning compliance permit's issuance, the owner must replant or re-seed the property back to its original vegetative cover, based on the tree counts and site information originally submitted to the county, unless the zoning coordinator grants a six-month extension.