Coeur d'Alene, ID Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)
Key Facts
- Sidewalk clearance
- Seven feet under overhanging branches of mature trees
- Street clearance
- Fourteen feet under overhanging branches
- Responsible party
- Owner of the private property abutting the right of way
- Corner vision triangle
- Forty feet along each roadway, three to eight feet high
- Hazard removal order
- Owner given fifteen days after city engineer notice
- Debris cleanup
- Streets and sidewalks cleared by sunset the day of work
Summary
In the City of Coeur d'Alene, the owner of the property next to a right of way must prune public trees so branches over a sidewalk clear seven feet and branches over the street clear fourteen feet. Overhanging growth that impairs use of the right of way is a declared public nuisance.
Every controller shall be responsible for the following: ... ... D. Pruning public trees and shrubs located on the right of way adjacent to the private real property owned by the controller. Branches of mature trees that overhang sidewalks must be pruned to provide seven feet (7') of clearance and branches that overhang the street must be pruned to provide fourteen feet (14') of clearance; ... ... G. Repairing damage done to the street, sidewalk or curb by the roots of any private trees or shrubs, or public trees and shrubs located adjacent to the private real property owned by the controller;
Full Breakdown
Chapter 12.36 calls the abutting property owner the controller, defined as the owner of the private real property that abuts a right of way. Section 12.36.105D makes the controller responsible for pruning public trees and shrubs on the right of way next to the property. Branches of mature trees that overhang sidewalks must be pruned to provide seven feet of clearance, and branches that overhang the street must be pruned to provide fourteen feet of clearance.
Section 12.36.505 backs the clearance rule by declaring any tree or shrub, public or private, that overhangs a public right of way or grows there so as to obstruct or impair its free and full use to be a public nuisance. Section 12.36.500 bars a controller from letting a nuisance exist once the street superintendent, the parks director or a designee finds it. Near corners, section 12.36.425 bars hedges, shrubbery and other sight obstructions, other than the bole of a tree, between three feet and eight feet in height inside a vision triangle measured forty feet along each roadway, and the city engineer orders the hazard removed within fifteen days.
Who does the work matters. A person who is not a licensee needs a pruning permit under section 12.36.300A, and section 12.36.205 requires a tree service license whenever a person performs the services for a fee. Pruning is defined as removal of branches using approved practices, and topping, cutting a tree back to a predetermined crown limit, is defined as an inappropriate pruning technique. The controller must remove and replace a public tree that has been topped or improperly pruned (12.36.105I) and repair street, sidewalk or curb damage caused by roots (12.36.105G). The person working on the tree must clear debris from streets and sidewalks by sunset on the day of the work (12.36.110). If the work will impair use of a sidewalk, street or alley, an encroachment permit under section 12.44.020 is also required (12.36.300C).
Violations & Fines
Violating chapter 12.36 is a misdemeanor under section 12.36.610A, punished under section 1.28.010 by a fine of not more than $1,000, imprisonment not to exceed 180 days, or both, with each day a separate offense. Pruning or root pruning a public tree without a permit or license is unlawful under section 12.36.200, and a controller who lets an overhanging nuisance stand after a finding by the street superintendent or parks director violates section 12.36.500.
Frequently Asked Questions
How high must branches be over a Coeur d'Alene sidewalk?
Who has to trim a street tree in the parkway next to my lot?
What if a hedge or tree blocks the view at a corner?
Can a branch over the street be declared a nuisance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Coeur d'Alene
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