Provo, UT Tree Protection: Heritage & Protected Trees (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Provo City Code 9.20.160
- Maintained by
- Forestry Division and Energy Board
- Who can nominate
- Any citizen, public or private tree
- Companion register
- 9.20.170 Big Tree Register
- Enforcement fallback
- General public-tree consent rules, 9.20.050
Summary
Provo City Code 9.20.160 lets the Forestry Division and Energy Board list rare or historic trees on the Heritage Tree List. Citizens can nominate public or private trees, but recognition carries no independent legal protection beyond the general urban forestry rules.
The Provo City Forestry Division and the Provo City Energy Board will maintain a list of rare or historic trees growing in Provo. These trees are unique from a historical and/or botanical perspective and may be of interest to other citizens. Recognized trees will appear on the Heritage Tree List of Provo published by the Provo City Forestry Division. Citizens may nominate public or private trees for recognition. Nominated trees must be woody plants of a type that is generally referred to as a "tree." A list of registry standards is available.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-17, passed June 9, 2026).
Full Breakdown
160 creates the Heritage Tree Register, maintained jointly by the Provo City Forestry Division and the Provo City Energy Board. The register catalogs rare or historic trees growing in Provo that are unique from a historical and/or botanical perspective and may interest other citizens. Recognized trees appear on the Heritage Tree List of Provo, published by the Forestry Division, and any citizen may nominate a tree, public or private, for recognition, provided the nominated specimen is a woody plant generally referred to as a tree.
A published list of registry standards governs eligibility. 170, coordinated with the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, which separately tracks the largest tree of each species growing in Provo and can forward qualifying specimens to the Utah State Big Tree Directory for verification. Neither register imposes a standalone removal ban: protection for any listed tree still runs through the general Urban Forestry provisions in the same chapter. 110. 130. The chapter was rewritten in 2008 (Rep&ReEn 2008-39) and amended again in 2024 (Am 2024-46).
Violations & Fines
Heritage or Big Tree Register status carries no separate penalty of its own. If the listed tree is a public tree, altering, removing, or injuring it without City Forester consent is enforced under 9.20.050 and 9.20.110, and a violator is liable for treble damages under 9.20.140(2), citing Utah Code 78B-6-1002.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a tree added to Provo's Heritage Tree list?
Does heritage listing stop my neighbor from cutting down their tree?
What's the difference between the Heritage Tree Register and Big Tree Register?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Provo
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Heritage & Protected Trees in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Utah County handle heritage & protected trees.