Sedona, AZ Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- SLDC § 5.6.C(4)d, Landscape Maintenance
- Duty holder
- Owner, lessee, heirs, or HOA
- Required upkeep
- Regular pruning, debris and weed removal
- Pruning limit
- Over-pruning into unnatural shapes barred
- Sidewalk rule
- Trees may not block required walkway width
- Penalty
- Class 1 misdemeanor or civil citation
Summary
Sedona's Land Development Code makes tree and shrub maintenance a permanent duty of the property owner, not a courtesy: vegetation must be pruned so it never blocks traffic sight lines, tangles utility lines, or heaves sidewalks and pavement as it matures. Trees may not encroach into a required sidewalk, trail, or walkway's minimum width, and failure to maintain landscaping is itself a code violation.
3. Failure to maintain approved landscaping shall constitute a violation of this LDC. ... ... 5. All plants shall be allowed to grow in natural patterns. Over-pruning or pruning plants into unnatural shapes is prohibited. 6. Vegetation shall be selected, placed, and maintained, so that at maturity it does not interfere with utility lines, buildings, traffic sight lines, vehicular parking, pedestrian circulation, and property rights of adjacent owners, and would not significantly damage or create upheaval of sidewalks and pavement.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Initiative Ordinance 2026-01, approved by voters at the July 21, 2026 election).
Full Breakdown
C(4)d, Landscape Maintenance, it is the owner, lessee, heirs, assigns, agent, or homeowners association who must permanently maintain all approved landscaping in accordance with the approved landscape plan. Required maintenance explicitly includes regular pruning, along with watering, mowing, fertilizing, clearing of debris and weeds, and replacing dead plants within 30 days or the next planting period. The Code draws a line on how far pruning can go: plants must be allowed to grow in natural patterns, and over-pruning or shaping them unnaturally is prohibited. At the same time, vegetation must be selected, placed, and maintained so that at maturity it does not interfere with utility lines, buildings, traffic sight lines, vehicular parking, or pedestrian circulation, and does not significantly damage or create upheaval of sidewalks and pavement.
H(6)b makes the adjacent property owner responsible for maintaining sidewalks, trails, and walkways, including snow removal, throughout the year. Landscaping placed within a public right-of-way carries the same maintenance obligation, tied to the terms of the encroachment permit that authorized it. The Code treats these as ongoing obligations rather than one-time installation requirements: a tree planted correctly at build-out can still put an owner in violation years later if it is left to overgrow a sight line or buckle a sidewalk slab.
Violations & Fines
Failure to maintain approved landscaping, including overgrown vegetation that blocks sight lines or heaves pavement, is expressly declared a violation of the Land Development Code under Section 5.6.C(4)d(3). Like other Code violations, it is enforceable under Section 1.7.A as a Class 1 misdemeanor or, at the discretion of a peace officer or the Code Enforcement Officer, a civil citation in Sedona Magistrate Court, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense; the City may also seek an order to correct or abate the condition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has to trim trees along a Sedona street or sidewalk?
How much can I cut back a tree that blocks the sidewalk?
Can a tree overhang or block a sidewalk or trail?
What happens if I let my street-side landscaping go unmaintained?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sedona
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