Do you need a permit?
It depends on the tree
Columbia's Tree Removal Permit applies to trees on private property, but the city's own instruction excludes single-family residential lots. Separately, city permission is required to remove a grand tree or a tree inside a protected zone. Those two statements are not reconciled on the city's site, so a homeowner with a large tree should call before cutting. The permit itself carries no fee.
Size threshold
Grand trees are defined by the Landscape & Tree Ordinance as hardwoods 24 inches DBH or greater, softwoods 30 inches or greater, and small hardwoods 10 inches or greater.
What's protected in Columbia
- Grand trees (24"+ hardwood, 30"+ softwood, 10"+ small hardwood)
- Trees within protected zones established by the Landscape & Tree Ordinance
How to apply in Columbia
- 1
Download the fillable Tree Removal Permit application from the city's Landscape & Tree Ordinance page.
- 2
Complete it and submit to Planning and Development Services. There is no fee.
- 3
If the tree is a grand tree or sits inside a protected zone, city permission is required regardless.
Fees, penalties, and the ordinance
- Fee
- No fee. The city lists the Tree Removal Permit as "(no fee)."
- Ordinance
- City of Columbia Landscape & Tree Ordinance, adopted as part of the Unified Development Ordinance
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 grand tree on a single-family residential lot still needs city permission, given that the Tree Removal Permit instruction excludes single-family lots. This is the decisive question for a homeowner here and the city does not resolve it publicly — call (803) 545-3218 before you cut.
- — Penalties for removing a grand or protected-zone tree without permission.
- — Replacement or mitigation requirements.