Boulder County does not require a permit to trim your own trees. In Wildfire Zones 1 and 2, the county requires vegetation thinning and defensible space around structures under its wildfire building rules.
There is no general county tree-trimming permit for private landowners in unincorporated Boulder County. Routine pruning and thinning are allowed and, in the wildland-urban interface, encouraged. Where defensible space applies (new builds, additions over 200 sq ft, and larger accessory structures in Wildfire Zone 1 – West County and Wildfire Zone 2 – East County), the county requires vegetation and fuels management around the home: the first 0-5 feet noncombustible, with fuels managed outward toward 100 feet based on slope. Homeowners meet this through the Building Code path or a Wildfire Partners assessment. Trees in the public right-of-way or on Open Space are managed by the county, not residents.
Defensible-space vegetation work is verified at building-permit inspection; failing inspection blocks permit approval until the fuels reduction is completed.
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See how Boulder County's tree trimming rules stack up against other locations.
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