Wausau, WI Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Wausau, WI, 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, Parks, Recreation & Forestry Dept.
- Scope
- Trees and shrubs on public areas/ways
- Illegal removal remedy
- 1:1 caliper inch replacement or set fee
- Exempt act
- Watering needs no permit
- Private-property trees
- Outside scope unless a safety nuisance
Summary
In Wausau, no one may remove, cut down, or otherwise disturb a tree or shrub growing in a public area, street terrace, park, or other City land without a written permit from the City Forester. Illegal removal in the public way triggers a 1:1 caliper-inch replacement or a City-set per-tree fee under Municipal Code §§ 12.56.040 and 12.56.080.
No person shall in any public area of the City: break, injure, mutilate, kill, or destroy any tree or shrub; permit any animal under his control to do so ... Illegal removal of trees or shrubs within the public way shall be replaced at a 1:1 caliper inch or a per tree fee will be assessed as determined by the City Forester. ... No person shall plant trees or shrubs in any public area unless a written permit is first obtained from the City forester. No person shall trim, prune, remove, treat, spray, inject, fertilize, brace, do surgery work, cut above or below ground, or otherwise disturb any tree or shrub in any public area without obtaining a written permit from the City Forester.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 12 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
56 puts the Parks, Recreation & Forestry Department's City Forester in charge of every tree and shrub on public areas, defined as public ways, parks, and other City-owned or leased land. 080 bars anyone from planting, trimming, pruning, removing, treating, spraying, injecting, fertilizing, bracing, doing surgery work, or cutting a public tree above or below ground without a written permit first obtained from the City Forester; the permittee must follow the arboricultural specifications in the permit and the City's Tree Planting and Preservation Manual. No permit is needed only to water a tree.
040 separately bars breaking, injuring, mutilating, killing, or destroying any public-area tree or shrub, whether by direct act, an animal under one's control, fire, a gas leak in the root zone, toxic chemical seepage, or contact with electric wires; builders working near public trees must erect protective barriers after giving the City Forester written notice. Where a tree or shrub is illegally removed from the public way, the ordinance requires either a 1:1 caliper-inch replacement or a per-tree fee the City Forester sets. 110.
Violations & Fines
Removing or damaging a public tree or shrub without a permit exposes the responsible party to the illegal-removal fee or 1:1 caliper replacement cost the City Forester assesses under § 12.56.040, plus the general City forfeiture of $10.00 to $200.00 per offense under § 1.01.110 where the chapter sets no specific penalty. Interfering with the City Forester's enforcement work is separately prohibited under § 12.56.120.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Wausau?
What happens if a public tree is removed without a permit in Wausau?
Who decides where a replacement tree goes after an illegal removal in Wausau?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Wausau
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Tree Removal & Heritage Trees in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Marathon County handle tree removal & heritage trees.