Bowie, MD Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Bowie City Code § 22-18, Vegetation trimming and removal required, makes it unlawful for a property owner to let a tree or shrub growing on the property, or in the abutting public right-of-way, hang over or branch so as to impair passage along a sidewalk or street or obscure street signs, traffic control signs or streetlights. Subsection A sets the numeric clearance standard: limbs, branches and foliage must be trimmed to leave not less than nine feet of clear space above a sidewalk and not less than 14 feet above a street or vehicular right-of-way.

If the City Manager or a designee decides a tree or shrub has become dangerous to the traveling public, Subsection B directs its removal, and a tree that creates an imminent danger to City property, a right-of-way or the public, as determined by the City of Bowie Community Forester or the Parks and Grounds Superintendent, is declared a public nuisance. Subsection C requires the City to give the owner written notice and sets a 30-day compliance window after notice issued under Subsection A, or the timeframe stated in a Subsection B notice, to trim or remove the vegetation; failing to do so within that period is itself a violation of the section, and if the tree is in a condition to fall imminently, the owner must remove it within the notice's stated timeframe regardless.

Under Subsection D, if the owner still does not comply, the City Manager may have the City perform the trimming or removal and bill the owner, with unpaid bills entered on the tax rolls as a tax against the real estate, or the City Manager may instead issue a municipal infraction citation under § 22-19A.