Canton, OH Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Section 917.05(a) requires each adjacent property owner on any public street, lane, alley or highway to remove dead trees or parts of trees that have become a nuisance or hazard, and separately requires owners to prune and keep pruned all trees on their premises or in the tree lawn between the premises and the curb whenever branches overhang the street or sidewalk. The pruning standard is numeric: the lowest branch must be kept at least 20 feet above the pavement of the alley, street, or highway, 20 feet above state routes, and 20 feet above the sidewalk overhung by the branches, and when an entire tree is removed the stump must also come out and the ground restored.

Subsection (b) gives the City a self-help remedy if an owner neglects this duty: after 10 days' written notice, served by certified mail to the owner's or occupant's last known address, the City may remove or prune the trees itself and bill the owner for inspection, record search, notification, and billing costs; if unpaid after 30 days, Council certifies the debt to the County Auditor to become a lien on the property collected like other taxes. Subsections (c) and (d) extend the same duty to unimproved rights of way (owner responsibility runs to the centerline) and to the US 62 and US 30 rights of way, where the Director of Public Service works with adjacent owners to trim or remove trees at the owner's cost.

This section is enforced separately from Section 541.02, which restricts utility companies from trimming or injuring trees on city property without the Director of Public Service's consent, subject to appeal to the Tree Commission. Section 917.05 traces to Ord. 165-2018, passed July 30, 2018.