Twin Falls County, ID Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Twin Falls County, ID, sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances, list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Key Facts
- Removal permit required
- No, for private property
- Plat tree review
- Encouraged, not mandatory (§2-3-5)
- Reviewing body
- County Tree Advisory Board
- Standard referenced
- ISA ANSI A300 tree care
- Board minimum size
- 5 members
- Adopted
- Ordinance 197, June 18, 2007
Summary
Twin Falls County does not require a permit to remove a tree on private land. Under § 2-3-5, new subdivisions or rezoning requests are only encouraged, not required, to be evaluated for tree impacts, and the county's volunteer Tree Advisory Board may review preliminary plats and visit sites for comment on removal and retention.
New developments requiring platting, or any request for a change in zoning, are encouraged to be evaluated for existing and future trees and their impact to the proposed development. The tree advisory board will be allowed to review all preliminary plats coming before the parks and waterways department for comment. The tree advisory committee or designee may visit the site to examine issues of tree removal, tree retention, water management and new tree plantings.
Full Breakdown
Title 2, Chapter 3 sets up a volunteer Tree Advisory Board of at least five members drawn from the pest-control industry, the nursery or landscaping industry, each of the county's east, west and north areas, and a local civic group, appointed by the County Commissioners under § 2-3-4. Its duties include advising on a countywide community forestry program and developing a community forest master plan, but § 2-3-5 governs new development specifically: plats requiring platting, or rezoning requests, are 'encouraged' to be evaluated for existing and future trees, and the tree board 'will be allowed' to review preliminary plats coming before the parks and waterways department for comment, with a board member or designee permitted to visit a site to examine removal, retention, water management and new plantings.
The board also develops minimum community-forest standards keyed to International Society of Arboriculture ANSI A300 practices. None of this language creates a mandatory removal permit, application fee or approval step for a landowner cutting a tree, whether inside a subdivision or on ordinary unincorporated acreage; the review is advisory input into the platting process, not a precondition to removal, and § 2-3-11 reserves any future tightening of the tree ordinance to the County Commissioners acting on the tree board's recommendation.
Violations & Fines
Because § 2-3-5 uses 'encouraged' rather than 'required,' skipping the tree board's plat review is not a code violation and carries no fine under the county's general misdemeanor penalty. A developer who proceeds without inviting board comment faces no permit denial or citation under this chapter; the consequence is simply that the tree board's input on removal and retention never happens.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to remove trees from my property in unincorporated Twin Falls County?
What happens during a plat review under the tree ordinance?
What standard guides tree decisions on county-owned land?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Twin Falls County
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