Greenwood, IN Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)
Key Facts
- Duty holder
- Owner of the abutting or growing premises
- Trigger
- Overhanging growth blocking sidewalk or street travel
- Fall hazard
- Owner must remove trees/limbs likely to fall
- City backstop
- Board of Public Works and Safety may trim/remove
- Enforcers
- Code Enforcement Officers and Greenwood Police
- Default penalty
- Up to $2,500 per day under § 1-13
Summary
In the City of Greenwood, Indiana, Greenwood General Ordinances § 6-346 requires owners to trim any tree or shrub that overhangs a sidewalk, street, or other public place and impedes traffic, and to remove any tree or limb likely to fall onto a street or sidewalk. The Board of Public Works and Safety may also trim or remove hazardous trees itself, and City Code Enforcement Officers and Police enforce the section.
(a) Any tree or shrub which overhangs any sidewalk, street or other public place in the City so as to impede or interfere with traffic or travel, shall be trimmed by the owner of the abutting premises or of the premises on which the tree or shrub grows, so as to remove the obstruction. (b) Any tree or limb of a tree which is likely to fall on or across any street, sidewalk or other public place shall be removed by the owner of the premises on which such tree stands. (c) The Board of Public Works and Safety may trim or remove any tree or shrub which obstructs or endangers traffic or travel on any street, sidewalk or other public place, or any subsurface utility provided for public use. (d) City of Greenwood Code Enforcement Officers, in addition to members of the Greenwood Police Department, are designated as enforcement officials for enforcement of this Section.
Full Breakdown
Section 6-346(a) of the Greenwood General Ordinances places the trimming duty on the owner of the abutting premises or of the premises on which the tree or shrub grows whenever a tree or shrub overhangs any sidewalk, street or other public place in the City so as to impede or interfere with traffic or travel. Subsection (b) goes further, requiring the owner to remove any tree or limb of a tree which is likely to fall on or across any street, sidewalk or other public place, not just branches that already overhang the right-of-way.
If the owner does not act, subsection (c) lets the Board of Public Works and Safety step in directly: it may trim or remove any tree or shrub which obstructs or endangers traffic or travel on any street, sidewalk or other public place, or any subsurface utility provided for public use, meaning the City can reach underground utility conflicts as well as overhead branches. Subsection (d) names the enforcement officials for the section as City of Greenwood Code Enforcement Officers, in addition to members of the Greenwood Police Department.
The section dates to Code 1968 § 3.11, carried forward as 1983 Greenwood Municipal Code § 15-9, and was last amended by Ordinance No. 24-05 in 2024. Because Section 6-346 sets no dollar figure of its own, a property owner who ignores a trim problem falls under the City's general-penalty section, Greenwood General Ordinances § 1-13, which fines unlawful conduct up to $2,500 and counts each day the hazard continues as a separate offense. This section sits directly next to Section 6-345's permit requirement for planting, removing, or trimming trees along streets and parkways, so a homeowner correcting one problem may need to check both provisions.
Violations & Fines
Letting a tree or shrub overhang a sidewalk, street, or public place so it blocks traffic, or leaving a tree or limb likely to fall onto a street or sidewalk, violates Section 6-346(a)-(b). City of Greenwood Code Enforcement Officers and Police enforce the section, and the Board of Public Works and Safety may trim or remove the hazard itself. Because no specific fine is set here, violations default to the Section 1-13 general penalty: up to $2,500, with each day counted separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has to trim an overhanging tree branch in Greenwood, Indiana?
What happens if I do not remove a tree limb that could fall on the street?
Which Greenwood agency enforces the tree trimming ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Greenwood
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