Cleveland, OH Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

19 places trimming duties on the owner or agent of any lot or parcel fronting a street, avenue or public ground where shade trees are planted. Owners must trim branches near street lamps so they don't block the light onto the street or sidewalk, and must trim all branches overhanging a sidewalk or roadway to a clear height of 8 feet above the sidewalk surface and 10 feet above the roadway surface. The section also requires removing all dead, decaying and broken limbs or branches that overhang a sidewalk or street or are liable to fall on it, and requires the owner to take up and remove any tree that has died on the lot entirely.

If an owner or agent fails to comply after being duly notified, the Shade Tree Commissioner is authorized to have the trimming or removal done at the owner's expense, and that expense, plus the cost of suit, may be collected through a Municipal Court action. 07, which gives the Director of Public Properties independent authority to trim or remove any tree within street, alley or public-ground lines that threatens safety. 99(e).