Bowling Green, KY Tree Protection: Tree Replacement Requirements (2026)

Per § 26-8 (Tree Removal), an approved public-tree removal must include 'refilling the area with soil, re-seeding or replanting' — replanting is treated as the default expectation for City-managed sites. Species selection for new public plantings is governed by § 26-5 (Public Tree Planting) and the subsections § 26-5.01 (Specifications), § 26-5.02 (Undesirable Tree Species), and § 26-5.03 (Suggested Tree Species) — the undesirable list excludes trees with disease/insect problems, dirty or dropping branches, objectionable fruit/bark, weak wood, short lifespan, irregular growth, destructive roots, or thorny/poisonous traits. For new commercial and multi-family development, the Warren County/BG Joint Zoning Ordinance Article 4.6.8 (administered by the City County Planning Commission of Warren County) requires perimeter landscape buffer trees, interior Vehicle Use Area (VUA) landscape areas (≥5% of VUA), and at least one tree in each landscape island/peninsula. Removed required landscape trees must be replaced in kind. On purely private residential property, no City replacement obligation arises from removing a tree.