Milton, WI Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Section 26-76(a) gives the director of public works full authority over trees on municipal streets, rights-of-way, city parks, and other public property, including removing any tree threatening utility lines or infected by fungus or pests. The clearance duty, though, falls on private owners: trees standing in or upon a public street or place, or on adjacent lots, must be pruned and trimmed by the owner or occupant of the adjoining property so the lowest branches over a public street or alley clear 15 feet, and branches over any other public place clear eight feet.

Any dead, broken, or hazardous branch likely to fall and injure the public makes the tree deemed hazardous under the same subsection, and § 26-79(b) lets the director order the owner to prune or remove an obstructing tree, with the city doing the work and billing the owner if the notice is ignored. Planting standards tie in at § 26-77: new street trees must follow ANSI A-300 care standards and the International Society of Arboriculture's practices, evergreen trees can't go in a visibility triangle, and no tree may be planted within ten feet of a fire hydrant. Interfering with the director's crews while they enforce Article VI is itself a violation under § 26-76(c).