Flint, MI Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Flint's tree-trimming framework runs through Chapter 45 of the Flint Code of Ordinances (https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/flint/latest/flint_mi/0-0-0-12957), which addresses Trees and Shrubs across the City. Section 45-5 establishes the authority and duties of the Recreation and Park Board and the City Forester position. Trees and shrubs on streets, in parks, and in the public right-of-way are under the jurisdiction of the Forestry Division within the Department of Parks and Recreation - a person desiring to remove, prune, or otherwise disturb a street or park tree must obtain a City permit. Section 45-11.1 (https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/flint/latest/flint_mi/0-0-0-13030) authorizes the Forestry Division to remove trees, limbs, shrubs, and the like that constitute an immediate hazard, with the Forestry Supervisor determining what qualifies. Trimming a tree wholly on private property and not extending into the right-of-way generally does not require a City permit, though damage to a city sidewalk or street caused by improper work remains the owner's responsibility. Michigan common law allows an adjoining owner to trim a neighbor's overhanging branches up to the property line as long as the cuts do not damage or kill the tree (Patterson v. Bonner, 75 Mich. App. 478). The Genesee Conservation District (https://www.geneseecd.org/trees) partners with the City on the Street Tree Program; a Charles Stewart Mott Foundation grant has supported removal of more than 350 dead or severely declining street trees citywide. Utility-line clearance pruning by Consumers Energy and DTE is conducted under MPSC-regulated easement and right-of-way authority. Trees within Genesee County Parks (including Bluebell Beach and the Flint Park Lake areas) fall under the Genesee County Parks and Recreation Commission rather than Chapter 45.