Tree Removal Permits in Bowling Green, KY

Verified against Bowling Green city sources · last checked 2026-08-06

Do you need a permit?

No permit required for most private trees

Bowling Green titled its ordinance honestly: Chapter XXVI is called PUBLIC TREES, and the permit clause reaches only public trees. Section 26-8: "No person shall remove, cut above the ground or disturb any public tree without approval of the City of Bowling Green." The city says the same thing on its own application form - "This form is required to remove or hire someone to remove any public tree." No permit, no threshold and no protected-tree list applies to a tree standing in your own yard. What the chapter does reach onto private land is a duty to cut: Section 26-2 extends it to "all trees and shrubs located on private property that constitute a hazard or threat as described herein," and the property code says flatly that no person shall allow a dead tree adjoining a public sidewalk or right-of-way.

Size threshold

None. No DBH, caliper or circumference figure triggers anything for a private tree. Read the size definitions in Section 26-1 carefully, because they are NOT trunk-diameter classes: "Large tree shall mean any tree species that normally attains a full-grown height in excess of fifty feet (50'). Medium tree shall mean any tree species that normally attains a full-grown height between twenty-six feet (26') and fifty feet (50'). Small tree shall mean any tree species that normally attains a full-grown height of under twenty-six feet (26')." Those classify by the mature height a species reaches and drive public tree planting placement under Section 26-5. The only trunk figure anywhere is a minimum nursery stock spec in the joint zoning ordinance at Section 4.6.8.D.6.a - "All deciduous trees must be a minimum of one-and-three-quarter inches in caliper at planting" - and that is caliper on new stock, not DBH on a standing tree.

What's protected in Bowling Green

Public trees. Section 26-1: "Public trees for the purpose of this Chapter are herein defined as trees situated within the public right-of-way, public parks, municipal cemeteries or other public places within the City."
Private trees, but only when hazardous. Section 26-2 (Applicability): "This Chapter provides full power and authority over public trees and to all trees and shrubs located on private property that constitute a hazard or threat as described herein."
Public trees against topping. Section 26-6: "It shall be unlawful for any person to top any public tree," adopting the ANSI A300 definition and naming the aliases "heading," "tipping," "hat-racking," "shaping," and "rounding over."
Dead trees next to the public way, in the sense that you must remove them. Property Code Section 27-5.05(f): "No person shall allow any dead tree adjoining public sidewalks or rights-of-way."

How to apply in Bowling Green

1
Only a public tree needs this. Work out first whether the tree is in the right-of-way, a public park, a municipal cemetery or another public place. The city GIS shows the right-of-way line.
2
Go to the Request for Approval for Tree Removal form on bgky.org.
3
Pick one of the three work types: Tree Removal, Major Tree Pruning, or Tree Planting. The form notes that "Approval is not required for minor pruning to maintain required clearance over streets or sidewalks or to maintain visibility for vehicular traffic."
4
Give the work description, property owner name, contact person, phone and address of the proposed work.
5
Accept the terms. The form states "By submitting this request, I agree to abide by all provisions of Chapter 26 - Public Trees," and for removals "If removal is approved you must remove the stump and replant the area as described in the Public Tree Ordinance."
6
Wait for approval before starting, then meet the five standards in Section 26-8: the entire tree including the stump comes out; the hole is refilled to ground level with soil; the area is re-seeded or planted; no damage is done to City or third-party property; and the whole removal can be done "without danger or inconvenience to the public."
7
Know who gets the citation. Section 26-8: "It shall specifically be the responsibility of the owner of the property adjacent to the rights-of-way upon which the public tree is planted to comply with the foregoing. Citations shall be issued to the owner of the property adjacent to the rights-of-way."
8
If the work will occupy the street or sidewalk, get a separate Right of Way Permit from Public Works, 75 dollars, at least 24 hours ahead.

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee: No fee is stated for the public tree removal approval; the application is a free online form. The adjacent fee that is published is the Public Works right-of-way permit, which the city describes as "Permit fees are seventy-five ($75) dollars per approved application" and which is triggered by "any excavation, removal or work in any part of any city right-of-way, street, curb, gutter or sidewalk."
Penalties: Section 26-11 stacks a replacement obligation on top of a fine. "As a result of the violation of any provision of this Chapter, whether by fault in accident or vandalism, which results in the injury, mutilation or death of a public tree, the party in violation or fault shall be responsible for the cost of repair or replacement of such tree. The replacement value of trees shall be determined in accordance with the latest revision of A Guide to the Professional Evaluation of Landscape Trees, Specimen Shrubs, and Evergreens, as published by the International Society of Arboriculture." The civil fines are per day and escalate with repeat offenses within five years. Uncontested: 250 dollars first offense, 500 dollars second, 750 dollars for all others. Contested and heard by the Code Enforcement Board: 500 dollars, 1,000 dollars and 1,500 dollars. Section 26-3 separately makes it unlawful "to prevent, delay or interfere with the City or any of its agents while engaging in and about the planting, cultivating, mulching, pruning, spraying or removing of any public tree."
Ordinance: City of Bowling Green Code of Ordinances, Chapter XXVI - Public Trees, Sections 26-1 through 26-12, adopted by Ordinance BG2004-21 on May 4, 2004 and amended twice since: Ordinance BG2011-4 on February 1, 2011 and Ordinance BG2014-13 on June 3, 2014. Those three are the only ordinances cited anywhere in the chapter, so the tree ordinance has stood unchanged for twelve years. Nuisance duties are Property Code Chapter XXVII, from Ordinance BG2003-61 (12-2-2003) as amended by BG2010-12, BG2014-12 and BG2022-41. Code current through Supplement 2026 S-41, which "contains all amending ordinances through April 21, 2026." Zoning is a separate joint document administered by the City-County Planning Commission of Warren County.

Worth knowing

The terrace strip is the trap and the citation lands on you. Under Section 26-1 the tree between your sidewalk and the curb is a public tree, and under Section 26-8 the citation goes to the adjacent property owner. Check the right-of-way line on the city GIS before cutting.
Topping is illegal on public trees only. There is no permit that authorizes it. Topping your own back yard tree is not prohibited by ordinance, though the city discourages it.
Bowling Green imposes an affirmative pruning duty on private owners. Section 26-7(a) makes it unlawful to let vegetation grow so as to interfere with sidewalk or street traffic or obstruct views, and adds that "Trees that grow over a public right-of-way shall be maintained so that the lowest limb is at a height of no less than fifteen (15) feet above the right-of-way."
Trees are exempt from the weed nuisance rule. Section 27-4.07 declares growth over ten inches tall a nuisance but expressly excludes "maintained crops, trees, bushes, flowers or other ornamental plants."
The city does not vouch for tree services but it does expect them to be licensed. Section 26-9: "The City does not endorse or certify the expertise of tree care and removal companies. These companies must possess and maintain current contractor and occupational licenses. It is recommended that a Kentucky or International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certified arborist be on company staff." The Bowling Green-Warren County Contractors Licensing Board publishes a searchable active contractor list.
The absence of a tree permit is corroborated by the forms page. bgky.org/forms lists Fence, Demolition, Swimming Pool, Site Work, Tent, House Moving and Alarm permits, and no tree permit.
Bowling Green has been a Tree City USA since 1994, 32 years running, and the Tree Advisory Board was founded the same year. Under Section 26-4.03 the Board handles Arbor Day, education and recommendations - it has no permitting or veto power.
Historic districts do not reach trees here. Zoning Section 3.15.1 lists the complete set of Certificate of Appropriateness triggers - exterior alteration visible from a roadway or named alley, new construction or additions, signs, fences or new parking areas, demolition, relocation, and a Nutwood/Magnolia appeal. Tree removal is not on the list.
Karst is mapped, not restricted. Bowling Green sits on major karst and the zoning ordinance defines sinkhole and sinking stream and requires karst features to be shown on General Development Plan submittals, but there is no karst or sinkhole overlay rule that stops a homeowner from cutting a tree. The floodplain chapter contains no tree provision either.
The zoning landscaping rules are planting rules for commercial work. Section 4.6.8.D opens "All commercial development shall comply with the minimum landscaping standards," and is triggered only by new construction, expansion, reconstruction or a use change adding parking. Single-family detached lots are outside it. The one tree-preservation clause in the whole ordinance is confined to the KY 234 overlay district and applies only where a developer elects to count existing vegetation toward that overlay's buffer.
Grubbing a stump can cross into a different permit. Zoning Section 3.3: "Any grading, excavation, filling or removal of soil on any lot or parcel of ground, which significantly affects the permanent drainage characteristics of a site shall require a site work grading permit." One residential stump normally will not; clearing a lot might.
The city's stated pest concern is emerald ash borer, not oak wilt, and its EAB advice - do not move firewood long distances - is a recommendation, not an ordinance. There is no local quarantine.

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 the City charges anything for the public tree removal approval. No fee appears on the form or in Chapter XXVI, but no city document affirmatively says it is free.
— The name, direct line and email of the staff member who reviews public tree removal requests. The form has no routing address, the Tree Board contact and hiring-a-contractor pages both return 404, and the ordinance says only "contacting the City."
— Whether Bowling Green employs a City Arborist or Urban Forester. Tree City USA status usually implies a professional forestry program, but no such position is named on bgky.org.
— Turnaround time for a public tree approval. No processing timeline is published.
— The height at which caliper is measured for the 1-3/4 inch nursery stock spec in zoning Section 4.6.8.D.6.a. The ordinance incorporates American Nursery Standards by reference without restating the measurement height, and that referenced standard was not read.
— The species on the Undesirable Tree Species list (Section 26-5.02) and the Suggested Tree Species list (Section 26-5.03). Both sections exist and govern public tree planting; the lists were not retrieved.
— Whether the Kentucky Forest Conservation Act (KRS 149.330 to 149.355) has any threshold that could reach a large residential clearing job. The chapter exists and neither its table of contents nor KRS Chapter 249 shows a homeowner permit, but the statutory definition of a timber harvesting operation was not read.
— Whether Kentucky imposes any binding seasonal restriction on pruning oaks for oak wilt. None was found in Chapter XXVI, which has no seasonal language of any kind, and none on the Kentucky Division of Forestry pages checked. Seasonal oak pruning avoidance appears to be horticultural advice rather than law, but 402 KAR Chapter 3 was not read in full.
— The rules in unincorporated Warren County outside the city limits. Chapter XXVI is a City of Bowling Green ordinance and does not apply there.
— Whether a deed restriction or HOA covenant applies. These are common in newer Bowling Green subdivisions, are not government records, and can require approval where the city does not.

Sources

Who to contact in Bowling Green

Neighborhood and Community Services, City of Bowling Green - the department that hosts the tree removal request form. Chapter XXVI, Section 26-12 says the chapter "shall be enforced by any designated Code Official or Code Enforcement Officer." Public Works Operations does the actual dead tree removal in the right-of-way. The Tree Advisory Board is advisory only and has no permitting authority.

270-393-3000 (Neighborhood and Community Services). Public Works Operations: 270-393-3363. Public Works main: 270-393-3628. Building Division: 270-393-3615. City-County Planning Commission of Warren County: 270-842-1953. building.division@bgky.org (Building Division) Official page

707 E Main Ave, Bowling Green, KY 42101. Mailing: P.O. Box 430, Bowling Green, KY 42102. Hours 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

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Size threshold

What's protected in Bowling Green

Public trees. Section 26-1: "Public trees for the purpose of this Chapter are herein defined as trees situated within the public right-of-way, public parks, municipal cemeteries or other public places within the City."

Private trees, but only when hazardous. Section 26-2 (Applicability): "This Chapter provides full power and authority over public trees and to all trees and shrubs located on private property that constitute a hazard or threat as described herein."

Public trees against topping. Section 26-6: "It shall be unlawful for any person to top any public tree," adopting the ANSI A300 definition and naming the aliases "heading," "tipping," "hat-racking," "shaping," and "rounding over."

Dead trees next to the public way, in the sense that you must remove them. Property Code Section 27-5.05(f): "No person shall allow any dead tree adjoining public sidewalks or rights-of-way."

How to apply in Bowling Green

1
Only a public tree needs this. Work out first whether the tree is in the right-of-way, a public park, a municipal cemetery or another public place. The city GIS shows the right-of-way line.
2
Go to the Request for Approval for Tree Removal form on bgky.org.
3
Pick one of the three work types: Tree Removal, Major Tree Pruning, or Tree Planting. The form notes that "Approval is not required for minor pruning to maintain required clearance over streets or sidewalks or to maintain visibility for vehicular traffic."
4
Give the work description, property owner name, contact person, phone and address of the proposed work.
5
Accept the terms. The form states "By submitting this request, I agree to abide by all provisions of Chapter 26 - Public Trees," and for removals "If removal is approved you must remove the stump and replant the area as described in the Public Tree Ordinance."
6
Wait for approval before starting, then meet the five standards in Section 26-8: the entire tree including the stump comes out; the hole is refilled to ground level with soil; the area is re-seeded or planted; no damage is done to City or third-party property; and the whole removal can be done "without danger or inconvenience to the public."
7
Know who gets the citation. Section 26-8: "It shall specifically be the responsibility of the owner of the property adjacent to the rights-of-way upon which the public tree is planted to comply with the foregoing. Citations shall be issued to the owner of the property adjacent to the rights-of-way."
8
If the work will occupy the street or sidewalk, get a separate Right of Way Permit from Public Works, 75 dollars, at least 24 hours ahead.

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee

No fee is stated for the public tree removal approval; the application is a free online form. The adjacent fee that is published is the Public Works right-of-way permit, which the city describes as "Permit fees are seventy-five ($75) dollars per approved application" and which is triggered by "any excavation, removal or work in any part of any city right-of-way, street, curb, gutter or sidewalk."

Penalties

Section 26-11 stacks a replacement obligation on top of a fine. "As a result of the violation of any provision of this Chapter, whether by fault in accident or vandalism, which results in the injury, mutilation or death of a public tree, the party in violation or fault shall be responsible for the cost of repair or replacement of such tree. The replacement value of trees shall be determined in accordance with the latest revision of A Guide to the Professional Evaluation of Landscape Trees, Specimen Shrubs, and Evergreens, as published by the International Society of Arboriculture." The civil fines are per day and escalate with repeat offenses within five years. Uncontested: 250 dollars first offense, 500 dollars second, 750 dollars for all others. Contested and heard by the Code Enforcement Board: 500 dollars, 1,000 dollars and 1,500 dollars. Section 26-3 separately makes it unlawful "to prevent, delay or interfere with the City or any of its agents while engaging in and about the planting, cultivating, mulching, pruning, spraying or removing of any public tree."

Ordinance

City of Bowling Green Code of Ordinances, Chapter XXVI - Public Trees, Sections 26-1 through 26-12, adopted by Ordinance BG2004-21 on May 4, 2004 and amended twice since: Ordinance BG2011-4 on February 1, 2011 and Ordinance BG2014-13 on June 3, 2014. Those three are the only ordinances cited anywhere in the chapter, so the tree ordinance has stood unchanged for twelve years. Nuisance duties are Property Code Chapter XXVII, from Ordinance BG2003-61 (12-2-2003) as amended by BG2010-12, BG2014-12 and BG2022-41. Code current through Supplement 2026 S-41, which "contains all amending ordinances through April 21, 2026." Zoning is a separate joint document administered by the City-County Planning Commission of Warren County.

Worth knowing

The terrace strip is the trap and the citation lands on you. Under Section 26-1 the tree between your sidewalk and the curb is a public tree, and under Section 26-8 the citation goes to the adjacent property owner. Check the right-of-way line on the city GIS before cutting.
Topping is illegal on public trees only. There is no permit that authorizes it. Topping your own back yard tree is not prohibited by ordinance, though the city discourages it.
Bowling Green imposes an affirmative pruning duty on private owners. Section 26-7(a) makes it unlawful to let vegetation grow so as to interfere with sidewalk or street traffic or obstruct views, and adds that "Trees that grow over a public right-of-way shall be maintained so that the lowest limb is at a height of no less than fifteen (15) feet above the right-of-way."
Trees are exempt from the weed nuisance rule. Section 27-4.07 declares growth over ten inches tall a nuisance but expressly excludes "maintained crops, trees, bushes, flowers or other ornamental plants."
The city does not vouch for tree services but it does expect them to be licensed. Section 26-9: "The City does not endorse or certify the expertise of tree care and removal companies. These companies must possess and maintain current contractor and occupational licenses. It is recommended that a Kentucky or International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certified arborist be on company staff." The Bowling Green-Warren County Contractors Licensing Board publishes a searchable active contractor list.
The absence of a tree permit is corroborated by the forms page. bgky.org/forms lists Fence, Demolition, Swimming Pool, Site Work, Tent, House Moving and Alarm permits, and no tree permit.
Bowling Green has been a Tree City USA since 1994, 32 years running, and the Tree Advisory Board was founded the same year. Under Section 26-4.03 the Board handles Arbor Day, education and recommendations - it has no permitting or veto power.
Historic districts do not reach trees here. Zoning Section 3.15.1 lists the complete set of Certificate of Appropriateness triggers - exterior alteration visible from a roadway or named alley, new construction or additions, signs, fences or new parking areas, demolition, relocation, and a Nutwood/Magnolia appeal. Tree removal is not on the list.
Karst is mapped, not restricted. Bowling Green sits on major karst and the zoning ordinance defines sinkhole and sinking stream and requires karst features to be shown on General Development Plan submittals, but there is no karst or sinkhole overlay rule that stops a homeowner from cutting a tree. The floodplain chapter contains no tree provision either.
The zoning landscaping rules are planting rules for commercial work. Section 4.6.8.D opens "All commercial development shall comply with the minimum landscaping standards," and is triggered only by new construction, expansion, reconstruction or a use change adding parking. Single-family detached lots are outside it. The one tree-preservation clause in the whole ordinance is confined to the KY 234 overlay district and applies only where a developer elects to count existing vegetation toward that overlay's buffer.
Grubbing a stump can cross into a different permit. Zoning Section 3.3: "Any grading, excavation, filling or removal of soil on any lot or parcel of ground, which significantly affects the permanent drainage characteristics of a site shall require a site work grading permit." One residential stump normally will not; clearing a lot might.
The city's stated pest concern is emerald ash borer, not oak wilt, and its EAB advice - do not move firewood long distances - is a recommendation, not an ordinance. There is no local quarantine.

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 the City charges anything for the public tree removal approval. No fee appears on the form or in Chapter XXVI, but no city document affirmatively says it is free.
— The name, direct line and email of the staff member who reviews public tree removal requests. The form has no routing address, the Tree Board contact and hiring-a-contractor pages both return 404, and the ordinance says only "contacting the City."
— Whether Bowling Green employs a City Arborist or Urban Forester. Tree City USA status usually implies a professional forestry program, but no such position is named on bgky.org.
— Turnaround time for a public tree approval. No processing timeline is published.
— The height at which caliper is measured for the 1-3/4 inch nursery stock spec in zoning Section 4.6.8.D.6.a. The ordinance incorporates American Nursery Standards by reference without restating the measurement height, and that referenced standard was not read.
— The species on the Undesirable Tree Species list (Section 26-5.02) and the Suggested Tree Species list (Section 26-5.03). Both sections exist and govern public tree planting; the lists were not retrieved.
— Whether the Kentucky Forest Conservation Act (KRS 149.330 to 149.355) has any threshold that could reach a large residential clearing job. The chapter exists and neither its table of contents nor KRS Chapter 249 shows a homeowner permit, but the statutory definition of a timber harvesting operation was not read.
— Whether Kentucky imposes any binding seasonal restriction on pruning oaks for oak wilt. None was found in Chapter XXVI, which has no seasonal language of any kind, and none on the Kentucky Division of Forestry pages checked. Seasonal oak pruning avoidance appears to be horticultural advice rather than law, but 402 KAR Chapter 3 was not read in full.
— The rules in unincorporated Warren County outside the city limits. Chapter XXVI is a City of Bowling Green ordinance and does not apply there.
— Whether a deed restriction or HOA covenant applies. These are common in newer Bowling Green subdivisions, are not government records, and can require approval where the city does not.