Loveland, CO Tree Protection: Heritage & Protected Trees (2026)

01, a tree survey performed by a certified arborist, registered landscape architect, or registered land surveyor must be submitted before any new development with a required landscape plan that would impact a significant tree; the survey documents each tree's location, species, size, and condition. The Director may accept a partial survey or a tree inventory in lieu of a full survey where significant trees sit only on part of the site or within designated open space. 02 states the City's policy that existing significant trees be preserved "to the maximum extent feasible," and bars removal of any significant tree shown on an approved landscape plan unless it meets one of nine listed grounds, disease, extreme nuisance, an uncorrectable safety hazard, interference with a more desirable tree, low or negative aesthetic value, location in a sight-distance triangle, status as a prohibited species, interference with a utility or ditch easement, or a City-approved visibility plan, and the City approves the removal.

Where preservation is infeasible because no reasonable alternative site design or on-site relocation would let the tree survive, the code requires on-site replacement. 03 requires construction fencing or similar protection, bars cuts or fills deeper than four inches within the dripline or root area without a qualified arborist's evaluation and City approval, and prohibits storage, waste disposal, or impervious paving within the dripline or critical root zone, which must be barricaded before grading begins.