Caldwell, ID Tree Protection: Tree Removal Permits (2026)

Caldwell's Tree Ordinance, Caldwell City Code Chapter 10, Article 8, establishes a permit and licensing framework focused on public and street trees rather than trees on private lots. Section 10-08-14 (Permit Procedures for Individuals) allows a resident to obtain authorization before planting, pruning, or removing a public tree, and Section 10-08-12 (Private Tree Service Fee Licensing and Certification) requires any person engaged in the business of planting, pruning, or removing a public tree or shrub for a fee to be licensed and certified with the city. The City Forester administers these provisions and may declare hazardous or obstructing trees to be nuisances; under Section 10-08-11, anyone who removes, destroys, or damages a public tree must replace it with tree(s) of equivalent dollar value on public property unless the Forester decides otherwise. By contrast, the ordinance's permit and replacement requirements are aimed at public trees, so a tree growing entirely on private property generally does not require a city removal permit, although development sites carrying landscape-plan conditions, and any tree within the right-of-way or parkstrip, are treated as regulated. Because parkstrip trees between the sidewalk and curb are typically public trees, homeowners should contact Caldwell Forestry before removing one even if it is directly in front of their own house.