Tree Removal Permits in Chandler, AZ

Verified against Chandler city sources · last checked 2026-08-06

Do you need a permit?

No permit required for most private trees

Chandler has no tree ordinance and no tree removal permit, and its landscape standards exclude houses by name: section 35-1906(2) applies them "to all new developments, except for single-family, duplex, triplex, and fourplex dwellings." Chandler also gives homeowners something rare — an explicit right-of-way carve-out at section 46-5, under which "Individual and private residents doing work adjacent to their own residence need not obtain a permit," while HOAs doing the same work do. The catch is the Property Maintenance Ordinance: section 30-18(I) requires landscape features including trees to be kept in substantial conformance with what city inspectors approved, so a removed tree can still have to be replaced.

What's protected in Chandler

Landscape materials and features approved or accepted by city inspectors. Section 30-18(I): "No person shall allow landscape materials and features, including but not limited to grasses, groundcovers, trees, shrubs, ornamental plants, architectural pools, ponds, basins, fountains and retention basins to be maintained except in substantial conformance to the conditions and requirements in existence at the time of their approval/acceptance by City Inspectors."
Trees in city-owned parks and facilities. Section 31-5(B) prohibits "Injuring, destroying, cutting or removing any tree, shrub, plant, wood, turf, grass, soil, or rock in any City-owned park or facility" except by city program or Community Services Department permit.
Trees in the public right-of-way. Section 46-1.3 defines an encroachment to include "Planting any tree, shrub, grass or other growing thing," and section 46-2(D) provides that "No work of any nature shall be performed in a public place or right-of-way, without first obtaining a permit from the City" — subject to the section 46-5 resident exemption.

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee: No fee, because no tree permit exists. Section 46-5 waives the right-of-way permit entirely for a resident working next to their own home. HOAs and contractors pay a non-refundable application processing fee set by Council resolution (section 46-5.1).
Penalties: Property Maintenance Ordinance violations, section 30-11(A): "civil penalty of two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) for the first violation, five hundred dollars ($500.00) for a second violation and seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00) for a third violation in any twenty-four (24) month period. In addition, the court may enter an order requiring the defendant to abate the violation within a prescribed period of time." Zoning Code violations, section 35-2700, are misdemeanors with each day a separate offense.
Ordinance: Chandler City Code section 35-1906 (Landscaping), last amended by Ord. No. 5142, section 2(Exh. A), November 13, 2025; Chapter 30, Property Maintenance Ordinance, enacted whole by Ord. No. 4951, section 2(Exh.), January 14, 2021, with section 30-18 last amended by Ord. No. 5075, section 2(Exh.), February 22, 2024; Chapter 46 (encroachments), section 46-5 adopted by Ord. No. 3062, section 3, December 16, 1999. Code codified through Ordinance No. 5160, adopted April 23, 2026 (Supplement No. 79).

Worth knowing

The homeowner-versus-HOA split at section 46-5 is worth reading twice: "Home owner's associations doing or causing landscaping work to be done must obtain a permit in accordance with this chapter. Individual and private residents doing work adjacent to their own residence need not obtain a permit but must not interfere with traffic and create any dangerous condition."
The Property Maintenance Ordinance reaches existing houses, not just new construction. Section 30-2(A): "This ordinance shall apply to all buildings, structures and lands within the City without regard to the use, the date of construction, improvement or alteration."
Section 30-18(H) is an affirmative landscaping requirement, not just a blight rule: "No person shall allow or permit to remain any portion of the front or side yard of any residential property that is in public view to be absent of landscaping material." Clear-cutting a front yard is a violation even though the removal itself needed no permit.
Section 30-18(J) covers trees "that is substantially dead or damaged, characterized by uncontrolled growth or lack of maintenance," and section 30-18(K) separately bars letting a palm tree accumulate excessive dead or dry fronds.
Clearance duty, section 30-18(F): "Tree limbs must be maintained to hang no lower than fifteen (15) feet above any public street or alleyway and eight (8) feet above any public sidewalk."
Section 30-18(L) makes you responsible for maintaining the abutting street area between the curb line and your property line, including sidewalks.
Chandler has no protected tree list, no heritage tree list and no native plant preservation ordinance. A code search for "native plant" produces one hit, and it is the phrase "native stone" describing an acceptable ground topping. A search for "arborist" produces none.
Chandler's historic preservation article adds no tree, vegetation or landscape removal provision.

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.

— No page on chandleraz.gov states in plain language that tree removal needs no permit. This entry is an exhaustive-absence finding based on the adopted code text plus the absence of any tree or landscape removal application from the Unified Development Manual application index.
— The dollar amount of the Class 3 landscape maintenance encroachment permit application fee. Section 46-5.1 delegates it to Council resolution and the citywide fee schedule was not retrieved.
— Whether a given lot's front-yard landscaping was formally approved or accepted by city inspectors for section 30-18(I) purposes. That is parcel-specific and is the decisive question if you are removing a front-yard tree.

Sources

Who to contact in Chandler

Development Services Department, City of Chandler. Enforcement of the landscape maintenance rule: Neighborhood Resources, Neighborhood Preservation.

480-782-3000 (Development Services; representatives of the day for Building Safety, Civil Engineering, Planning, Traffic Engineering and the Permit Counter). Code Hotline, call or text: 480-782-4320. Streets: 480-782-3500. Official page

215 E Buffalo St., Chandler, AZ 85225

Cost Calculators

Find Tree Services

Browse tree trimming and removal companies in Chandler.

View tree services

Related Permits

Get weekly cost & permit updates

Join homeowners who get free insights on project costs, permit changes, and money-saving tips. No spam — unsubscribe anytime.

Free forever. No credit card. Unsubscribe in one click.

What's protected in Chandler

Landscape materials and features approved or accepted by city inspectors. Section 30-18(I): "No person shall allow landscape materials and features, including but not limited to grasses, groundcovers, trees, shrubs, ornamental plants, architectural pools, ponds, basins, fountains and retention basins to be maintained except in substantial conformance to the conditions and requirements in existence at the time of their approval/acceptance by City Inspectors."

Trees in city-owned parks and facilities. Section 31-5(B) prohibits "Injuring, destroying, cutting or removing any tree, shrub, plant, wood, turf, grass, soil, or rock in any City-owned park or facility" except by city program or Community Services Department permit.

Trees in the public right-of-way. Section 46-1.3 defines an encroachment to include "Planting any tree, shrub, grass or other growing thing," and section 46-2(D) provides that "No work of any nature shall be performed in a public place or right-of-way, without first obtaining a permit from the City" — subject to the section 46-5 resident exemption.

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee

No fee, because no tree permit exists. Section 46-5 waives the right-of-way permit entirely for a resident working next to their own home. HOAs and contractors pay a non-refundable application processing fee set by Council resolution (section 46-5.1).

Penalties

Property Maintenance Ordinance violations, section 30-11(A): "civil penalty of two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) for the first violation, five hundred dollars ($500.00) for a second violation and seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00) for a third violation in any twenty-four (24) month period. In addition, the court may enter an order requiring the defendant to abate the violation within a prescribed period of time." Zoning Code violations, section 35-2700, are misdemeanors with each day a separate offense.

Ordinance

Chandler City Code section 35-1906 (Landscaping), last amended by Ord. No. 5142, section 2(Exh. A), November 13, 2025; Chapter 30, Property Maintenance Ordinance, enacted whole by Ord. No. 4951, section 2(Exh.), January 14, 2021, with section 30-18 last amended by Ord. No. 5075, section 2(Exh.), February 22, 2024; Chapter 46 (encroachments), section 46-5 adopted by Ord. No. 3062, section 3, December 16, 1999. Code codified through Ordinance No. 5160, adopted April 23, 2026 (Supplement No. 79).

Worth knowing

The homeowner-versus-HOA split at section 46-5 is worth reading twice: "Home owner's associations doing or causing landscaping work to be done must obtain a permit in accordance with this chapter. Individual and private residents doing work adjacent to their own residence need not obtain a permit but must not interfere with traffic and create any dangerous condition."
The Property Maintenance Ordinance reaches existing houses, not just new construction. Section 30-2(A): "This ordinance shall apply to all buildings, structures and lands within the City without regard to the use, the date of construction, improvement or alteration."
Section 30-18(H) is an affirmative landscaping requirement, not just a blight rule: "No person shall allow or permit to remain any portion of the front or side yard of any residential property that is in public view to be absent of landscaping material." Clear-cutting a front yard is a violation even though the removal itself needed no permit.
Section 30-18(J) covers trees "that is substantially dead or damaged, characterized by uncontrolled growth or lack of maintenance," and section 30-18(K) separately bars letting a palm tree accumulate excessive dead or dry fronds.
Clearance duty, section 30-18(F): "Tree limbs must be maintained to hang no lower than fifteen (15) feet above any public street or alleyway and eight (8) feet above any public sidewalk."
Section 30-18(L) makes you responsible for maintaining the abutting street area between the curb line and your property line, including sidewalks.
Chandler has no protected tree list, no heritage tree list and no native plant preservation ordinance. A code search for "native plant" produces one hit, and it is the phrase "native stone" describing an acceptable ground topping. A search for "arborist" produces none.
Chandler's historic preservation article adds no tree, vegetation or landscape removal provision.

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.

— No page on chandleraz.gov states in plain language that tree removal needs no permit. This entry is an exhaustive-absence finding based on the adopted code text plus the absence of any tree or landscape removal application from the Unified Development Manual application index.
— The dollar amount of the Class 3 landscape maintenance encroachment permit application fee. Section 46-5.1 delegates it to Council resolution and the citywide fee schedule was not retrieved.
— Whether a given lot's front-yard landscaping was formally approved or accepted by city inspectors for section 30-18(I) purposes. That is parcel-specific and is the decisive question if you are removing a front-yard tree.