Cranston, RI Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- Written tree warden permission
- Fine range
- $100 to $500 per offense
- Enforcement
- Cranston police, municipal court
- Replacement duty
- Replant comparable tree if removed
Summary
Cranston requires written tree warden permission before anyone prunes, cuts, or removes a tree or shrub within any public street right-of-way or municipal land, with violators facing fines up to $500 per tree.
No person shall, without the written consent of the tree warden of the city of Cranston use climbing spurs for the purpose of climbing ornamental or shade trees, and no person or agent of a firm or corporation shall remove, cut down, prune, willfully injure, or deface any shrub or tree within the limits of any public way or municipal land without the written permission of the tree warden of the city of Cranston.
B. Any person, firm or corporation removing, cutting down, or damaging any tree located along a municipal city roadway shall, in addition to any fine levied, replace the tree with a hardy young tree of a similar kind in the same general location of the tree cut down or removed. Said replant of the replacement tree shall be to the satisfaction and under the direction of the city's tree warden.
C. Any person, firm or corporation violating subsection (A) shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100.00) and not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) for each offense.
D. Each offense as set forth in subsection (C) shall be defined as each individual shrub, tree or other planting.
E. This section shall be enforced by the Cranston police department and summons issued shall be returnable to the Cranston municipal court. (Ord. 06-17 § 1)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4824304; v14 updated 2026-05-18).
Full Breakdown
Cranston Code § 9.08.060 bars removing, cutting down, pruning, injuring, or defacing any shrub or tree within the limits of a public way or municipal land without the tree warden's written permission, and bars using climbing spurs on ornamental or shade trees without that same consent. Anyone who cuts down or damages a tree along a municipal roadway must also replant a comparable hardy young tree in the same location, to the tree warden's satisfaction. Violations run $100 to $500 per offense, with each individual tree or shrub counted separately; the police department enforces the rule and cases go to Cranston Municipal Court.
Violations & Fines
Fines run $100 to $500 per offense, with each tree or shrub a separate violation; the police department enforces the rule in Cranston Municipal Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I trim a tree on the street strip in front of my Cranston home?
What happens if I cut down a street tree in Cranston without permission?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cranston
Compare Cranston to another location·View the Rhode Island landscaping rules overview
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Tree Trimming in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle tree trimming.