South Jordan, UT Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

In unincorporated Salt Lake County, residential tree trimming on private property is largely self-directed - there is no county permit for routine pruning on private lots. Two distinct regulatory regimes apply. First, in the Foothills and Canyons Overlay Zone (FCOZ), Chapter 19.72 of Title 19 (Zoning) requires a site plan and limits all vegetation disturbance to the approved limits of disturbance. The FCOZ exists specifically to preserve foothill aesthetics, control erosion, increase slope stability, and protect wildlife corridors along the Wasatch Front; tree pruning beyond routine maintenance can therefore require county approval if the property sits inside the overlay. Second, for street trees in incorporated municipalities, Salt Lake City Code Sec. 2.26.190 (Chapter 2.26 - Urban Forestry) places maintenance of the adjacent park-strip tree on the abutting private property owner but reserves the right to prune to the Urban Forester. Code Sec. 2.26 makes it unlawful to plant, prune, or remove any public tree without first obtaining a permit from the Department of Public Lands. Suburban Salt Lake County cities (West Valley City, West Jordan, Sandy, Murray, South Salt Lake) have analogous urban-forestry chapters - South Salt Lake regulates street trees in Title 12 (Streets, Sidewalks and Public Places) Division V (Trees). 'Topping' (severe heading cuts that leave stubs) is widely discouraged or prohibited and Salt Lake City Urban Forestry follows ANSI A300 pruning standards. Utah is also a 'view easement' state with no general statutory right to sunlight, so private encroaching branches over a property line may be trimmed back to the line by the affected neighbor without a permit, subject to nuisance and trespass principles.