Lafayette, IN Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Section 8.06.400(A) sets three tiers of required limb clearance in Lafayette. Along any street, alley or sidewalk, no tree or shrub may keep a limb or branch lower than eight feet above the surface. Between a point six feet from the curb line and a point ten feet from that same curb line, the minimum clearance rises to fifteen feet, and between points ten feet from each curb line of the street or alley, meaning over the roadway's central portion, no limb may hang lower than eighteen feet.

Subsection B adds a stricter fifteen-foot clearance wherever a boulevard or ornamental lighting system is installed and a low limb would interfere with the light's diffusion. Subsection C exempts trees with a diameter at breast height, or DBH, of less than six inches, and any tree not yet large enough to be pruned to the required clearance without harming it, noting that the minimum DBH for exemption can vary by species and crown type. Subsection D declares a tree or shrub that violates these clearance rules a public nuisance and gives the city, its contractors, agents or sponsored volunteers the right to prune a privately owned tree that is in violation. The Lafayette Police Department and Code Enforcement/Neighborhood Resource Team may also refer chronic clearance complaints for nuisance abatement alongside the City Forester's pruning authority.