Maricopa, AZ Tree Protection: Tree Removal Permits (2026)

The City of Maricopa does not require a permit to remove an ordinary tree from a private residential lot, so there is no citywide tree-permit program like some larger cities have. The city's protections instead attach to specific situations. For new development and subdivisions, Maricopa's landscaping code (Ch. 18.90) directs preservation of existing healthy and significant trees located outside proposed roadway pavement, within retention or detention basins, or within subdivision open-space areas, and trees counted as required landscaping that die or are removed generally must be replaced, typically within about three months of notice. Removing or working on trees in the public right-of-way (for example, city street trees in the landscape strip) requires an encroachment permit from the Development Services Department before entering the right-of-way. Statewide, protected native desert species are governed by Ariz. Rev. Stat. 3-906: a permit, tag, and seal from the Arizona Department of Agriculture are required to take or transport protected native plants, and moving a saguaro more than four feet tall needs a permit. Finally, most Maricopa subdivisions are governed by HOAs whose CC&Rs require architectural-committee approval before removing front-yard, common-area, or street-facing trees. Before removing any significant tree in Maricopa, confirm whether it is required landscaping, in the right-of-way, a protected native, or HOA-controlled.