Roseville, MN Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

The clearance rule is § 705.09(4), part of the section titled Duties of private landowners. Subsection (4)a requires private property trees and shrubs to be trimmed so as not to cause a hazard to persons or property on abutting property. Subsection (4)b sets the numbers: all trees and shrubs shall be pruned to sufficient height to allow free passage of pedestrians and vehicular traffic, nine feet over sidewalks and 16 feet over streets and two feet horizontal distance.

Other duties in § 705.09 sit beside the trimming rule. No tree, shrub or herbaceous plant can be planted or allowed to grow so as to obstruct the view of vehicular traffic on public streets or pathways, or pedestrians on public pathways (§ 705.09(3)a). Pest-infested or hazardous trees, and plants the city forester deems a health or safety hazard, must be treated or removed (§ 705.09(5)). Section 405.03(10) separately declares a public nuisance any wires, tree limbs and other vegetation close enough to a public non-motorized pathway, street or alley to impede safe passage of pedestrians, bicyclists or permitted vehicles.

When the city forester determines with reasonable certainty that trimming, treatment or removal is necessary, § 705.12 requires a written order. The notice goes to the owner of record or occupant, in person or by mail, and the compliance date is 20 days after the notice is mailed. The recipient can appeal within five working days of the postmark date; the city tree board hears the appeal and it is forwarded to the city council for action within 21 calendar days. Costs of inspecting, removing or treating trees, including legal expense, are itemized and mailed to the owner. If the bill is unpaid within 30 days, the amount plus interest is certified to county officials and collected with the next succeeding five years of real estate taxes under Minn. Stat. § 429.101.

Trimming on public land is separate. Section 705.08(d)(2) bars trimming or pruning public trees without a public tree permit, and § 705.03 states that tree topping is specifically prohibited on all public lands. A business that trims or removes trees for hire must be licensed to work in the city by the community development department (§ 705.11).