Cranston, RI Tree Protection: Protected Tree Species (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit needed
- Tree warden's written permission required
- Fine
- $100–$500 per tree, shrub, or planting
- Replacement
- Comparable hardy tree required if damaged
- Enforcement
- Cranston police; Cranston municipal court
- Scope
- Public ways and municipal land only
Summary
Cranston bars removing, cutting, pruning, or damaging any tree or shrub in a public way or on municipal land without the tree warden's written permission, with fines up to $500 per tree.
No person shall, without the written consent of the tree warden of the city of Cranston use climbing spurs for the purpose of climbing ornamental or shade trees, and no person or agent of a firm or corporation shall remove, cut down, prune, willfully injure, or deface any shrub or tree within the limits of any public way or municipal land without the written permission of the tree warden of the city of Cranston.
B. Any person, firm or corporation removing, cutting down, or damaging any tree located along a municipal city roadway shall, in addition to any fine levied, replace the tree with a hardy young tree of a similar kind in the same general location of the tree cut down or removed. Said replant of the replacement tree shall be to the satisfaction and under the direction of the city's tree warden.
C. Any person, firm or corporation violating subsection (A) shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100.00) and not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) for each offense.
D. Each offense as set forth in subsection (C) shall be defined as each individual shrub, tree or other planting.
E. This section shall be enforced by the Cranston police department and summons issued shall be returnable to the Cranston municipal court. (Ord. 06-17 § 1)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4824304; v14 updated 2026-05-18).
Full Breakdown
Cranston Code of Ordinances § 9.08.060 protects trees and shrubs on public ways and municipal land: removing, cutting down, pruning, willfully injuring, or defacing one without the tree warden's written permission is prohibited, and climbing ornamental or shade trees with spurs also requires the warden's written consent. Anyone who cuts down or damages a tree along a municipal roadway must replace it with a comparable hardy young tree at a location the tree warden approves, in addition to any fine. Violations carry a fine of $100 to $500, with each individual tree, shrub, or planting counted as a separate offense. The Cranston police department enforces the section, with summonses returnable to Cranston municipal court.
Violations & Fines
Fine of $100 to $500 per tree, shrub, or planting; violators who remove or damage a roadway tree must also replant a comparable tree at the tree warden's direction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I cut down a tree on a Cranston public street?
What happens if I damage a tree along a city roadway?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cranston
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Protected Tree Species in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle protected tree species.