Oklahoma City designates public street trees under §38-15. Residents may trim overhanging branches to property line. Ice storms (2007, 2020) create massive recurring trimming needs.
Oklahoma City Municipal Code §38-15 assigns the Forestry Division oversight of all street trees and trees in public rights-of-way; residents may not remove or top them without city permission. Violations include $100 to $1,000 fines under §38-17. Oklahoma has no state tree-protection preemption and no formal heritage tree law at the state level. Post oaks, pecans, American elms, and bur oaks are native and long-lived. Oklahoma ice storms (notably Dec 2007 killing 28 and leaving 600,000 without power, and Oct 2020 storm) cause massive limb damage and removal needs — OKC's Forestry Division typically waives most right-of-way permits post-declared disasters. Under Oklahoma common law (Fick v. Nilson), homeowners may trim branches overhanging from a neighbor's tree up to the property line without consent but may not enter the neighbor's property or damage tree health.
Unauthorized street-tree work: $100 to $1,000 (OKC §38-17). Damage to protected trees in commercial PUDs: replacement + $500 to $5,000.
See how Oklahoma 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 If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.