Murfreesboro's Tree Preservation Ordinance bars topping or pruning street, park, and other public trees without City Arborist authorization. Trimming a healthy tree entirely on your own private property needs no city permit. Unincorporated county has no tree-trimming rule.
Under the City of Murfreesboro Tree Preservation Ordinance (City Code Chapter 34, codified as Chapter 32.5, Tree Management), no person other than the City Arborist or an authorized contractor may prune, remove, or disturb a tree on city property without a permit. Topping any street tree, park tree, or other tree on public property is unlawful as a normal practice. Trees located entirely on private property may be trimmed by the owner without a city permit, so long as they do not obstruct traffic, a sight triangle, or become a public nuisance. In unincorporated Rutherford County there is no tree-trimming ordinance; state common law and any HOA rules govern.
Violating the tree ordinance is a misdemeanor subject to a fine up to five hundred dollars and costs, plus any City corrective-action expense. Damaging a public tree can trigger additional recovery of the tree's value.
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See how Rutherford County's tree trimming rules stack up against other locations.
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