Lawton, OK Tree Protection: Protected Tree Species (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 16-3-1-315
- Covers
- Fruit, shade, ornamental trees, shrubs, vines
- Applies to
- Private land and public streets/grounds
- Max fine
- $750.00 under § 1-1-119
- Max jail
- 60 days
- Named species protected
- None; category-based, not a species list
Summary
Lawton's code makes it a criminal offense to willfully cut down, root up, sever or destroy any fruit, shade or ornamental tree, shrub, vine or plant, whether it stands on private land belonging to someone else or grows along a city street, alley or public ground. The ban covers both landscaping vandalism and destruction of municipally planted street trees, naming no specific protected species.
A.No person shall willfully, maliciously and without lawful authority cut down, root up, sever, injure or destroy any fruit tree, shade or ornamental tree, cultivated root or plant, grape or strawberry vine, shrub or plant whatever standing on or attached to the land of another, or pick, destroy, carry away therefrom, or in any way interfere therewith, any of the fruit thereof.B.No person shall willfully or without lawful authority cut down, destroy, root up or in any manner injure any fruit, shade or ornamental tree, shrub or vine planted or growing on any street, land, avenue, alley or other public ground of the city.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 2 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Section 16-3-1-315 splits the prohibition into two parts. Subsection A protects trees, shrubs and vines standing on another person's land: it is unlawful to willfully, maliciously and without lawful authority cut down, root up, sever, injure or destroy any fruit tree, shade or ornamental tree, cultivated root or plant, grape or strawberry vine, shrub or plant, or to pick, destroy or carry away its fruit. Subsection B extends the same ban to trees, shrubs and vines the city itself has planted or that grow along any street, avenue, alley or other public ground, meaning cutting down a municipal street tree carries the identical exposure as vandalizing a neighbor's fruit tree.
The section names no specific protected species; instead it protects fruit, shade and ornamental trees categorically, whether cultivated or growing wild on covered ground. 00 fine or sixty (60) days in the city jail, or both, with a right to a jury trial whenever jail time is on the table. The section sits in Division 16-3-1, Offenses Against Property, alongside related vandalism provisions such as damaging landmarks (16-3-1-317) and unlawful intrusion on land (16-3-1-318), reflecting its framing as a property-damage crime rather than an urban-forestry regulation.
Violations & Fines
Violating Section 16-3-1-315 is a misdemeanor punishable under the general penalty of Section 1-1-119: a fine of up to $750.00, imprisonment in the city jail for up to sixty (60) days, or both, at the court's discretion, plus court costs. Because no specific fine is written into 16-3-1-315 itself, both private-land trees under subsection A and public street trees under subsection B are charged under this same citywide maximum.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Lawton's tree ordinance name specific protected tree species?
What happens if I cut down a tree on a public street?
What is the maximum penalty?
Does the fruit on a protected tree also count?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lawton
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