A Forestry Services permit is required to remove any City-maintained tree or any tree in the public right-of-way. Permits are submitted online and processed within ~5 business days. Healthy, high-value trees fall under LMC 13.24.110 with mandatory appraisal and mitigation. Removal must be performed by a Longmont-licensed Tree Contractor (LMC 6.88) and include stump grinding.
The Apply for a Permit page (longmontcolorado.gov/forestry/.../apply-for-a-permit/) lists removals as one of the four permit-required actions, along with pruning, plant-health care, and new plantings in the ROW. Reviews are returned within five business days. For removals, the work must include stump grinding, and the contractor must be a City-licensed Tree Contractor per LMC 6.88. Removal of a healthy, high-value tree triggers LMC 13.24.110: the City Forester appraises value (ISA trunk-formula method), and the applicant must mitigate either with replacement trees of equivalent appraised value or via payment in lieu. Trees on wholly private property — not in the ROW — do not require a removal permit, but dead or hazardous trees can still draw Code Enforcement action under LMC Chapter 13.24, particularly EAB-infested ash trees.
Unpermitted removal of a city or ROW tree is enforced through LMC 13.24.110: the City Forester appraises the lost tree value and charges mitigation. Use of an unlicensed contractor violates LMC 6.88 (against the contractor). EAB-infested or hazardous private trees that are not addressed after a pre-code-enforcement letter can lead to nuisance abatement and city-billed removal.
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