Tree Removal Permits in Boulder City, NV

Verified against Boulder City city sources · last checked 2026-08-07

Do you need a permit?

No permit required for most private trees

Boulder City requires no permit to remove a tree on your own property. Its tree chapter is titled Public Landscaping and its stated purpose is "controlling the placement, amount and type of landscaping material installed on public property," with "removal" defined as cutting down a tree "from the public right-of-way." The landscaping table in the zoning code sets the minimum landscaped area for R1 and R2 residential uses at zero percent. Two things to check before you cut anyway: if your house is in the historic district, a Certificate of Appropriateness may be required for exterior changes visible from the street, and the city's water conservation chapter bans installing new turf, so you may not be able to replace what you remove the way you expect.

Size threshold

None for removal. The only diameters in the tree chapter govern pruning and protection. BCC 9-12-2 defines maintenance as pruning "limbs larger than 1 inch in diameter on small trees, or larger than 2 inches in diameter on medium and large trees," and defines topping as "the severe cutting back of limbs to stubs larger than three inches (3") in diameter within the tree's crown." BCC 9-12-8.A sizes construction fencing around a right-of-way tree at "not less than four feet (4') high and eight feet (8') square, or the distance in feet from the tree equal to the diameter of the trunk in inches BHD, whichever is greater" - note BHD, breast height diameter, is the convention used and the height is not stated.

What's protected in Boulder City

Street trees, defined by location rather than species. BCC 9-12-2: "STREET TREE: Trees, shrubs, bushes and all other woody vegetation located in or overhanging any public right-of-way within the City." The same section defines "REMOVAL: The act of cutting down or removing any tree or shrub from the public right-of-way."
Trees on any street, alley, avenue, lane, square or public ground. BCC 9-12-4: "The City shall have the right to plant, prune, maintain and remove trees, plants and shrubs within the lines of all streets, alleys, avenues, lanes, squares and public grounds, as may be necessary to ensure public safety or to preserve or enhance the symmetry and beauty of such public grounds."
Possibly, landscape features of a designated historic property. BCC 11-27-5.A: "Except for ordinary maintenance, no person shall carry out any alteration of any historic property making any material change to the character-defining features of the property, or other exterior elements visible from a public street (excluding alleys) which affect the appearance and cohesiveness of the property without a Certificate of Appropriateness." The section does not name trees, but a mature street-facing tree can be a character-defining feature, and Boulder City is a National Register historic district town. Ask the Historic Preservation Officer before removing a prominent tree in the old town.

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee: No fee for tree removal, because no permit exists for private trees. BCC 9-12-8.B does require approval from the Public Works Director before you "excavate any ditch, tunnel, trench or lay any driveway or make any curb cut within a radius of ten feet (10') of any street tree," and no fee is stated for that.
Ordinance: Boulder City Code Title 9 (Public Ways and Property), Chapter 12 (Public Landscaping), enacted by Ord. 870, adopted June 12, 1990, effective July 4, 1990. Every section in the chapter carries that single derivation and none shows a later amendment. The zoning landscaping chapter is BCC Title 11, Chapter 25, most recently amended by Ord. 1724, adopted June 13, 2023, effective June 6, 2023. The water conservation chapter is BCC Title 9, Chapter 14, amended by Ord. 1587, exhibit A, adopted April 25, 2017 (effective May 18, 2017) and Ord. 1682, exhibit A, adopted August 23, 2022 (effective September 15, 2022). Code current through Ordinance No. 1879, enacted April 14, 2026 (Supp. No. 12).

Worth knowing

The zoning code exempts houses by putting a zero in the table. BCC 11-25-5 Table 11-25-5 sets the minimum lot area landscaped at 0 percent for "Residential uses in R1 and R2" and for "Single-family and townhome uses in R3 and SH," alongside the A1, CBD, CO, ER, G, ME, MP, RD, RV, S and SR districts. A homeowner has no landscape minimum to meet and therefore nothing to replace a removed tree against.
You have a duty to prune and a duty to remove, both measurable. BCC 9-12-6.A: "Every owner of any tree overhanging any street or right-of-way within the City shall prune the branches so that such branches shall not obstruct the light from any street lamp or obstruct the view of any street intersection and so that there shall be a clear space of eight feet (8') above the surface of the street or sidewalk." Subsection B: "Said owners shall remove all dead, diseased or dangerous trees, or broken or decayed limbs that constitute a menace to the safety of the public."
The city may prune your private tree without asking. BCC 9-12-6.B, second sentence: "The City shall have the right to prune any tree or shrub on private property when it interferes with the proper spread of light along any lane of a street or interferes with any traffic control device or sign."
This is the Nevada water story in one section, and it works in the homeowner's favour against an HOA. BCC 9-14-8 bans installing new turf on newly constructed residential property and in residential front yards. Subsection B then voids private covenants that block xeriscape: "Any person(s) or association(s), regardless of date of establishment, is prohibited from imposing private covenants, conditions, restrictions, deed clauses or other agreements between the parties, which prevent person(s) from utilizing water efficient landscaping including but not limited to xeriscape, provided such landscaping receives appropriate architectural review and approval. In any event, landscaping materials and designs may not be prohibited solely on the basis that they make use of water-efficient landscaping."
Topping a street tree is allowed only in narrow cases. BCC 9-12-7 permits topping of "Trees severely damaged by storms or other causes, or certain trees under utility wires or other obstructions where other pruning practices are impractical."
What you may plant in the right-of-way is a closed list. BCC 9-12-10: "The City Council shall, by resolution, list the official City tree species for the City." BCC 9-12-9 bars planting any street tree other than those listed as small trees "under or within ten (10) lateral feet of any overhead utility."
Yard waste is handled outside normal collection. BCC 8-3-7 authorizes "Any person engaged in the business of gardening or tree trimming, building and building demolition" to collect and remove that material themselves.

What we could not confirm

We would rather tell you what we don't know than guess. Call the office below to confirm these before you cut.

— Whether a Certificate of Appropriateness is in fact required to remove a tree in the Boulder City historic district. BCC 11-27-5 does not name trees or landscaping, and the "Certificate of Appropriateness Approval Matrix" that decides which applications get administrative review is adopted separately and was not located. This is flagged as a real risk, not a confirmed requirement.
— The Council resolution listing the official City tree species, referenced by BCC 9-12-10 but not published in the code.
— The Official City Street Tree Plan required by BCC 9-12-3.B.
— Whether Boulder City licenses tree services. Title 4 (Business Regulations) was not read section by section.
— Any penalty for violating Chapter 12. The chapter contains no penalty section of its own and no cross-reference to a general penalty.
— Whether Southern Nevada Water Authority turf-conversion rules or Nevada AB 356 (2021) add anything. Boulder City runs its own water conservation chapter and is not a Las Vegas Valley Water District customer in the ordinary way, so the SNWA rules cited for other Clark County cities may not apply here in the same form.

Sources

Who to contact in Boulder City

Landscape Division, Boulder City Department of Public Works. BCC 9-12-3 makes the Landscape Division responsible for the plan governing "the care, preservation, pruning, planting, replanting, removal or disposition of trees and shrubs in parks, along streets and in other public areas except for the Municipal golf course," and that plan "shall constitute the Official City Street Tree Plan for the City." For a historic-district question the office is Community Development, which receives Certificate of Appropriateness applications and routes them to the Historic Preservation Officer.

Public Works, which contains the Landscape Division and is the right number for a street tree: 702-293-9283. Public Works after-hours and emergency line: 702-293-9224. Parks and Recreation, for a tree in a city park: 702-293-9282 (fax 702-293-9392). Boulder City main line: 702-293-9208. Official page

City of Boulder City, 401 California Avenue, Boulder City, NV 89005

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Size threshold

What's protected in Boulder City

Street trees, defined by location rather than species. BCC 9-12-2: "STREET TREE: Trees, shrubs, bushes and all other woody vegetation located in or overhanging any public right-of-way within the City." The same section defines "REMOVAL: The act of cutting down or removing any tree or shrub from the public right-of-way."

Trees on any street, alley, avenue, lane, square or public ground. BCC 9-12-4: "The City shall have the right to plant, prune, maintain and remove trees, plants and shrubs within the lines of all streets, alleys, avenues, lanes, squares and public grounds, as may be necessary to ensure public safety or to preserve or enhance the symmetry and beauty of such public grounds."

Possibly, landscape features of a designated historic property. BCC 11-27-5.A: "Except for ordinary maintenance, no person shall carry out any alteration of any historic property making any material change to the character-defining features of the property, or other exterior elements visible from a public street (excluding alleys) which affect the appearance and cohesiveness of the property without a Certificate of Appropriateness." The section does not name trees, but a mature street-facing tree can be a character-defining feature, and Boulder City is a National Register historic district town. Ask the Historic Preservation Officer before removing a prominent tree in the old town.

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee

No fee for tree removal, because no permit exists for private trees. BCC 9-12-8.B does require approval from the Public Works Director before you "excavate any ditch, tunnel, trench or lay any driveway or make any curb cut within a radius of ten feet (10') of any street tree," and no fee is stated for that.

Ordinance

Boulder City Code Title 9 (Public Ways and Property), Chapter 12 (Public Landscaping), enacted by Ord. 870, adopted June 12, 1990, effective July 4, 1990. Every section in the chapter carries that single derivation and none shows a later amendment. The zoning landscaping chapter is BCC Title 11, Chapter 25, most recently amended by Ord. 1724, adopted June 13, 2023, effective June 6, 2023. The water conservation chapter is BCC Title 9, Chapter 14, amended by Ord. 1587, exhibit A, adopted April 25, 2017 (effective May 18, 2017) and Ord. 1682, exhibit A, adopted August 23, 2022 (effective September 15, 2022). Code current through Ordinance No. 1879, enacted April 14, 2026 (Supp. No. 12).

Worth knowing

The zoning code exempts houses by putting a zero in the table. BCC 11-25-5 Table 11-25-5 sets the minimum lot area landscaped at 0 percent for "Residential uses in R1 and R2" and for "Single-family and townhome uses in R3 and SH," alongside the A1, CBD, CO, ER, G, ME, MP, RD, RV, S and SR districts. A homeowner has no landscape minimum to meet and therefore nothing to replace a removed tree against.
You have a duty to prune and a duty to remove, both measurable. BCC 9-12-6.A: "Every owner of any tree overhanging any street or right-of-way within the City shall prune the branches so that such branches shall not obstruct the light from any street lamp or obstruct the view of any street intersection and so that there shall be a clear space of eight feet (8') above the surface of the street or sidewalk." Subsection B: "Said owners shall remove all dead, diseased or dangerous trees, or broken or decayed limbs that constitute a menace to the safety of the public."
The city may prune your private tree without asking. BCC 9-12-6.B, second sentence: "The City shall have the right to prune any tree or shrub on private property when it interferes with the proper spread of light along any lane of a street or interferes with any traffic control device or sign."
This is the Nevada water story in one section, and it works in the homeowner's favour against an HOA. BCC 9-14-8 bans installing new turf on newly constructed residential property and in residential front yards. Subsection B then voids private covenants that block xeriscape: "Any person(s) or association(s), regardless of date of establishment, is prohibited from imposing private covenants, conditions, restrictions, deed clauses or other agreements between the parties, which prevent person(s) from utilizing water efficient landscaping including but not limited to xeriscape, provided such landscaping receives appropriate architectural review and approval. In any event, landscaping materials and designs may not be prohibited solely on the basis that they make use of water-efficient landscaping."
Topping a street tree is allowed only in narrow cases. BCC 9-12-7 permits topping of "Trees severely damaged by storms or other causes, or certain trees under utility wires or other obstructions where other pruning practices are impractical."
What you may plant in the right-of-way is a closed list. BCC 9-12-10: "The City Council shall, by resolution, list the official City tree species for the City." BCC 9-12-9 bars planting any street tree other than those listed as small trees "under or within ten (10) lateral feet of any overhead utility."
Yard waste is handled outside normal collection. BCC 8-3-7 authorizes "Any person engaged in the business of gardening or tree trimming, building and building demolition" to collect and remove that material themselves.

What we could not confirm

We would rather tell you what we don't know than guess. Call the office below to confirm these before you cut.

— Whether a Certificate of Appropriateness is in fact required to remove a tree in the Boulder City historic district. BCC 11-27-5 does not name trees or landscaping, and the "Certificate of Appropriateness Approval Matrix" that decides which applications get administrative review is adopted separately and was not located. This is flagged as a real risk, not a confirmed requirement.
— The Council resolution listing the official City tree species, referenced by BCC 9-12-10 but not published in the code.
— The Official City Street Tree Plan required by BCC 9-12-3.B.
— Whether Boulder City licenses tree services. Title 4 (Business Regulations) was not read section by section.
— Any penalty for violating Chapter 12. The chapter contains no penalty section of its own and no cross-reference to a general penalty.
— Whether Southern Nevada Water Authority turf-conversion rules or Nevada AB 356 (2021) add anything. Boulder City runs its own water conservation chapter and is not a Las Vegas Valley Water District customer in the ordinary way, so the SNWA rules cited for other Clark County cities may not apply here in the same form.