Lakewood, CO Tree Protection: Protected Tree Species (2026)

Section 17.6.5.8(A) sets the trigger: "Existing trees with trunks greater than 8-inch caliper, measured 1 foot above grade, within a development shall be preserved to the extent reasonably feasible," and are "considered 'protected' trees within the meaning of this Section." Streets, buildings and lot layouts have to be designed "to minimize the disturbance to protected trees." The Director decides, after consulting the City Forester, whether preserving or transplanting a protected tree is feasible under § 17.6.5.8(B); if not, the applicant must replace it.

Not every large tree qualifies. Under § 17.6.5.8(C)(3), "Tree species that constitute a nuisance to the public as determined by the City include Cottonwoods, Siberian Elms, Russian Olives, and Female Box Elders," though native cotton-bearing Cottonwoods and Female Box Elders used as a buffer near a property line are carved back out of that nuisance list. Dead, dying, or hazardous trees and trees that block visibility at driveways and intersections are also exempt from the preservation requirement, § 17.6.5.8(C)(1)-(2).

For trees that remain protected, § 17.6.5.8(E) requires a fenced tree protection zone at the drip line before and during construction, bars cutting or filling deeper than 4 inches within the drip line without City Forester approval, and requires any utility or irrigation trench deeper than 6 inches near a protected tree to be bored under the root system at a minimum depth of 24 inches.

When removal is unavoidable under § 17.6.5.8(C)(4)'s reasonable-use standard, § 17.6.5.9(A) requires replacement "at a rate of 100 percent of the total caliper of trees removed from the site," with each replacement tree at least 2-inch caliper or 6 feet tall for evergreens. A property owner who doesn't want to replant on site can instead pay $1,200.00 per tree into the City's tree fund under § 17.6.5.9(C).