Clinton Township, MI Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Section 1024.03 applies to every owner or occupant of property where trees or foliage grow, and it extends to anyone who caused, or whose predecessor in interest caused, trees or foliage to be placed in the public right-of-way. Those owners and occupants must keep the trees and foliage trimmed, maintained, and properly located so that a clear space of 12 feet is maintained above any public right-of-way, sidewalk, or other pedestrian area, and so that an adequate height is kept above streets, driveways, and paved surfaces to prevent vehicles from contacting branches or having their view obstructed. The same section requires owners and occupants to promptly remove broken, dead, diseased, or dangerous limbs, specifically any part that, in the opinion of the Superintendent of the Department of Public Works or a designee, could injure someone on contact, cause injury or property damage by falling, spread disease, or otherwise endanger people or property. Trees and foliage also cannot be located or maintained so that they block the sight lines where sidewalks, driveways, or paved surfaces intersect.

Section 1024.04 layers on a utility-safety rule: no tree or foliage may be placed, or allowed to grow, into contact with overhead utilities or into a public utility easement, and anything already positioned to reach overhead lines at maturity is treated as a hazard subject to the same corrective-action process. If an owner ignores a notice to fix a defective condition, Section 1024.05 lets the Township do the trimming or removal itself and bill the property, plus a 10% administration fee.