De Pere, WI Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum branch clearance
- 10 feet above ground
- Who must trim
- Owner or occupant of the adjacent property
- Oversight
- City Forester
- Exception
- Newly planted trees not blocking sidewalk/light
- Cost of city-ordered trim
- Billed to the neglecting owner
Summary
Owners and occupants whose trees overhang a De Pere street or public place must keep branches trimmed so the lowest ones sit at least 10 feet above the ground, per City Code Sec. 30-10(a). The city forester oversees the work and can exempt newly planted trees that don't block sidewalks or streetlights.
(a)Projecting branches. Trees standing in or upon any public highway or public place and on any lot or land adjacent to any public highway or public place and having branches projecting into the public highway or place shall, under the supervision of the city forester be kept trimmed by the owner or occupant of the property in or in front of which such trees are growing so that the lowest branches shall not be less than ten feet from the ground.(b)Newly planted trees; exception. The city forester may, however, allow a newly planted tree to remain untrimmed, provided that it does not interfere with persons using the sidewalk or obstruct the light of any streetlight. In case the owner or occupant shall neglect to trim such tree, it shall be the duty of the city forester to cause the trimming to be done and the cost therefor to be collected from such owner.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 9).
Full Breakdown
Section 30-10(a) applies to trees standing in or upon a public highway or place, and to trees on adjacent private lots whose branches project into that public space. Either way, the owner or occupant of the property in front of which the tree grows is responsible for keeping it trimmed under the city forester's supervision, with a fixed clearance floor: the lowest branches cannot hang lower than 10 feet above the ground. Subsection (b) carves out newly planted trees, which the city forester can leave untrimmed as long as they don't interfere with people using the sidewalk or block the light thrown by a streetlight.
If an owner or occupant ignores a needed trim, the city forester is directed to have the trimming done anyway, and the cost of that work is then collected from the owner. This section sits inside the broader forestry chapter, which separately requires a written permit from the city forester before anyone plants, removes, maintains or protects a tree standing in a public area under Sec. 30-8(g)(1), and which bans any growth over 30 inches tall inside the clear-vision triangle at an intersection under Sec.
30-8(f)(2). Together they mean a homeowner along a De Pere street cannot decide on their own timetable when a low branch gets cut back: the forester sets the standard, and default results in a city-ordered trim billed to the property.
Violations & Fines
Section 30-10(b) lets the city forester perform the trim itself when an owner neglects it, with the cost billed to and collected from that owner. Beyond that cost recovery, chapter 30 has no dedicated dollar forfeiture for this section, so noncompliance falls under the Code's general penalty, Sec. 1-11: $1.00 to $2,000.00 per offense, with each day a separate violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How high do my tree branches need to be over the sidewalk in De Pere?
Do newly planted trees need to meet the 10-foot rule right away?
What if I never trim my overhanging branches?
Do I need a permit to trim my own street tree?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in De Pere
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Tree Trimming in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Brown County handle tree trimming.