Pruning trees on your own private property in Chattanooga generally needs no permit. But street/public trees in the right-of-way are protected by the Chattanooga Tree Ordinance and may only be trimmed or removed with the city arborist's approval.
The Chattanooga Tree Ordinance (City Code Chapter 32, Streets and Sidewalks, Article XIII) protects public trees, defined roughly as trees in the public right-of-way, typically within 10-15 feet of the curb line. Removing, planting, or pruning these street trees requires approval from the city arborist through Urban Forestry. Homeowners may trim or remove trees on their own private property without a city permit in most cases. In unincorporated Hamilton County there is no county tree-trimming permit for private yards; trimming a neighbor's overhanging limbs is a civil matter. Utility line clearance is handled by EPB and the power provider.
Trimming or damaging a public/street tree without arborist approval can bring fines and mandatory replacement costs under the Chattanooga Tree Ordinance.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
hamilton-county-tn
Chattanooga's curfew bars minors from public streets, parks, and other public places at night. Older teens (17) must be home by 11 p.m. weekdays and midnight...
hamilton-county-tn
Chattanooga zoning limits lighting to one footcandle at any lot line and requires all outdoor luminaires to be shielded so no glare falls on adjacent lots or...
hamilton-county-tn
Chattanooga's zoning code requires all outdoor luminaires to be full cutoff design, caps permitted lighting color temperature at 3200K, and bans searchlights...
hamilton-county-tn
Garage-sale signs in Chattanooga are permit-exempt yard signs. They may be up to 32 square feet, displayed no more than 15 days before and 30 days after the ...
hamilton-county-tn
Chattanooga treats political signs as exempt yard signs needing no permit. They may be up to 32 square feet and 10 feet tall, but all political yard signs mu...
hamilton-county-tn
Chattanooga has no separate tiny-home ordinance; a backyard tiny house is regulated as an accessory dwelling unit. It must sit on a permanent foundation, sta...
See how Hamilton County's tree trimming rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.