Cincinnati, OH Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Section 743-25 puts the pruning duty on the property owner: any person owning real property abutting a street must prune trees on that property so they don't obstruct the view of oncoming traffic, block free passage of pedestrians on the sidewalk or vehicles on the paved street, hide a traffic sign or signal, or interfere with overhead electric or wire lines. The code fixes the clearance at 8 feet over any sidewalk and 14 feet over the paved portion of the street, there's no discretion built into those numbers. A separate duty falls on utility companies: if the director finds that a company's wires are pressing into a public tree, the company must prune the tree, or redesign or relocate its own equipment, within 48 hours (or a longer window the director sets) at no cost to the city.

Enforcement runs through § 743-27. Any tree on private or public property that obstructs a street or sidewalk, or carries a communicable disease or infestation threatening public trees, is declared a public nuisance. The director mails the owner a certified notice describing the required corrective work. If the owner doesn't complete it within 14 days of receiving the notice, the director has the tree pruned, treated, or removed by the city and bills the owner for the cost. An owner can appeal an order to the Urban Forestry Advisory Board within 14 days of the director's ruling, and from there to the Board of Park Commissioners, whose decision is final.