Beloit, WI Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

16(3) puts the trimming duty on the property owner: branches over a sidewalk must be trimmed so the lowest branch clears at least 9 feet, and bushes may not extend over the sidewalk at all. 16(1) has jurisdiction and control over trees and shrubs on streets and public grounds citywide, notifies an owner in writing to remove any branch the Director judges dangerous to pedestrians. If the owner does not cut the branches or trim the tree or shrub as directed, the City may do the work itself and bill the cost back to the owner as a special charge against the property under Wis.

60(16). 16(10) adds a separate permit layer for the trimming trade itself: no one may trim, treat or prune trees for hire anywhere in the City, public or private property, without first getting a permit from the Director of Public Works, and the City Clerk will not issue that permit unless the Director confirms in writing that the applicant is qualified to do the work. The same chapter also bans planting box elder or cottonwood trees anywhere in the City and lets the Director order a nuisance cottonwood on private land removed at owner expense, and it caps hedges at 6 feet within 150 feet of an occupied dwelling and requires them kept clear of the sidewalk.

This is the City of Beloit's own street-trees ordinance; it does not reach the Town of Beloit or South Belot, Illinois, which are separate governments with their own rules.