Fishers, IN Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Tree trimming in Fishers is governed by Chapter 95. For 'street trees' (trees on city-owned or controlled land and within dedicated landscape easements, per § 95.30), § 95.33 states that no person may prune a street tree, or hire someone to do so, unless the Tree Board first grants a proper permit; permits may be issued to property owners or certified arborists and are valid for up to 60 days. Section 95.35 makes it unlawful, unless approved in advance by the Tree Board, to top trees within a city right-of-way or on municipal property, to prune horizontally a branch more than one inch in diameter, or to cut limbs within a tree's canopy back to stubs. Public and private utilities may obtain an annual permit to trim trees within the public right-of-way under § 95.33(D). For private-yard trees, no city pruning permit is required, but § 95.11 makes property owners responsible for trimming trees that extend onto or over a public right-of-way, sidewalk, or public property, and § 95.16 lets the city trim or remove, without notice, any tree obstructing the view of traffic or a traffic-control device. The UDO landscape maintenance standard (§ 6.7.3.J) requires plant material in the right-of-way to be pruned and maintained by the adjacent property owner.