Sioux Falls, SD Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Under Sioux Falls Code of Ordinances Chapter 94 (Forestry), trees in the parking strip ('boulevard trees') between the curb and sidewalk are city-owned but maintenance falls on the abutting property owner — including pruning for sidewalk and street clearance, deadwood removal, and proper structural shaping per ANSI A300 standards. Section 94.038 requires a Street Tree Planting Permit (issued at no charge by the Forestry Division at Sioux Falls City Center, 231 N. Dakota Ave.) before planting any tree in a public right-of-way; planting setbacks include a minimum 20-foot clearance from stop/yield signs and traffic signals. The City Forester maintains an approved species list and prohibits species susceptible to known pests. Within the EAB quarantine — which covers all of Minnehaha, Lincoln, and Turner counties under South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources rules — Sioux Falls bans trimming, pruning, removal, and transport of any ash (Fraxinus) wood between Memorial Day and Labor Day to prevent spreading the emerald ash borer during peak adult-beetle flight. Year-round, hardwood firewood and raw ash logs may not be moved out of the three-county quarantine zone.