Tree Removal Permits in Des Moines, IA

Verified against Des Moines city sources · last checked 2026-08-06

Do you need a permit?

No permit required for most private trees

Des Moines has no permit requirement and no diameter threshold for removing a tree that stands on your own private property. Chapter 122 of the city code, the chapter titled Vegetation, is written almost entirely around trees on public property, and its one removal permit applies to a tree standing on a street or the parking strip. The rule that actually reaches a Des Moines back yard runs the other direction: the code makes it an offense to LEAVE a dead, diseased or dangerous tree standing, and it makes you pay to remove any tree infected with Dutch elm disease or oak wilt once the forestry division notifies you.

Size threshold

None. Chapter 122 contains no diameter, DBH or circumference figure anywhere. The only size language in the chapter is the definition at Section 122-1: "Trees are not construed to include shrubs which do not grow higher than 15 feet."

What's protected in Des Moines

Trees on public property. Section 122-3: "No person shall remove, prune, cut, molest, break, deface, destroy, spray, repair or do surgery work upon any tree or part thereof or in any manner interfere with, disturb or injure any tree, shrub or plant upon the public property of the city." The clause reaches public property only, and pruning is named alongside removal, so you may not prune a city tree either.
Trees standing in a street or the parking strip, where removal is for construction. Section 122-5: "Any person desiring to remove a live tree or shrub standing on a street or parking thereof for construction of walks, drives, buildings or any other structures for his or her own gain or purposes shall first obtain a permit from the forestry division. If a permit is issued the permittee must pay the cost of removal of such tree or shrub or the permittee may remove the tree or shrub at the permittee's own expense."
The public highway is broader than the pavement. Section 122-1: "Public highway means all of the land lying between property lines on either side of all public streets, boulevards and alleys." The city's Forestry Division says the right-of-way it maintains includes "the paved portion of a street and a border area between the pavement and the adjoining property."
Dead, diseased or dangerous trees on PRIVATE property, which the code treats as something you must remove rather than something you need permission to remove. Section 122-11(a): "No property owner shall maintain or permit to stand upon his or her property any tree, shrub, plant or part thereof which is dead, diseased, or so damaged as to be a menace to public safety."
Trees infected with Dutch elm disease or oak wilt, and any dead oak or elm that still has its bark, anywhere in the city. Section 122-13(a): "any owner, occupant or person in control of any property shall remove at his or her own expense any tree, brush, wood or debris infected with Dutch elm disease or oak wilt or any dead oak or elm which retains bark found thereon when so notified by the forestry division."

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee: No fee is set for removing a private tree, because no permit exists. Section 122-59 does authorize a fee to inspect a tree for disease: "Fees for city inspection of a tree shall be paid to the city treasurer in an amount set therefor by resolution of the city council, provided fees for inspections not requested by the owner or the owner's representative shall be assessed only against those trees showing evidence of disease which requires removal of the tree." The section defines "private property" as "property not owned by the city," so this fee can reach a private yard tree. The resolution setting the dollar amount is not published in the code.
Penalties: Section 122-26: "Any person who fails to perform an act required by this chapter or who commits an act prohibited by this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by fine as provided by section 1-15 of this Code or shall be guilty of a municipal infraction punishable by a civil penalty as provided by section 1-15 of this Code." The separate and more likely consequence is cost recovery: under Sections 122-11(c) and 122-13(b) the forestry division removes the tree itself and certifies the cost to the county for collection "in the same manner as general property taxes."
Ordinance: Des Moines Municipal Code Chapter 122 (Vegetation), Article I (In General) and Article II (Trees). The substantive sections are old: Sections 122-3, 122-5, 122-11, 122-12 and 122-13 all trace to the 1942, 1954 and 1962 codes and carry no amendment newer than the 1991 recodification, except Section 122-13, last touched by Ordinance No. 11,524. Section 122-2, on the powers of the sanitation administrator, was repealed outright by Ord. No. 15,044, Section 1, adopted September 12, 2011. Section 122-26 (penalties) was amended by Ordinances 11,950, 13,648 and 15,608. Code codified through Ordinance No. 16,558, adopted May 18, 2026 (Supp. No. 37).

Worth knowing

The code protects you from your neighbor and from the utility, not from the city. Section 122-10(d): "Except as provided by subsection (c) of this section, no tree, bush or shrub shall be removed without the written consent of the owner of the property upon which the tree, bush or shrub is located." Subsection (c) is the city's own abatement power over branches obstructing a street or sidewalk.
A utility or anyone else trimming a tree they do not own must give you 15 days written notice first under Section 122-10(a)(1), unless the work is needed "to restore electrical service or relieve a public emergency."
Your overhanging branches are your job. Section 122-10(b) requires the owner of any tree overhanging a street or sidewalk to keep "a clear space of eight feet above the surface of the sidewalk and a clear space of 12 feet above the surface of the street."
Oak wilt appears in the Des Moines code by name, but only as a duty to cut, not as a seasonal pruning ban. Unlike several Wisconsin cities, Des Moines does not prohibit pruning oaks during the spring and summer infection season anywhere in Chapter 122.
Des Moines does not license tree services. A section-by-section read of Chapter 30 (Businesses) found no arborist, tree trimmer or tree service license; its articles cover going-out-of-business sales, cigarette dealers, vending machines, donation bins, parking lots, house-number painting, bondsmen, secondhand goods, after-hours business and massage therapy. Vetting a tree company is entirely on you.
Planting a tree in the right-of-way is the one thing a Des Moines homeowner clearly does need a permit for. Section 122-15(a) requires a forestry division permit to "plant or set out any tree in or on any public highway, street or boulevard," and the city runs a Street Tree Program that issues that permit at no cost.
The code lets the city special-assess the cost of planting, pruning, removing or maintaining street trees against the abutting lot (Sections 122-16 through 122-23), with a published schedule, a 20-day objection window and certification to the county treasurer.

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.

— The dollar amount of the diseased-tree inspection fee. Section 122-59 sets it "by resolution of the city council" and the resolution is not reproduced in the code or published on the Forestry pages.
— The fine and civil penalty amounts in Section 1-15, which Section 122-26 incorporates by reference. Section 1-15 was not read for this entry.
— Whether Des Moines Chapter 135, the Planning and Design Ordinance, imposes any tree preservation or landscaping duty that could reach a single-family lot. Chapter 135 was enacted by Ordinance No. 15,817, adopted October 16, 2019, effective December 15, 2019, and its text is not carried in Municode - the code entry says only "The user's attention is directed to the new Planning and Design Ordinance." We did not read it, so we are not characterizing it either way.
— Whether Chapter 58 (Historical Preservation) requires a certificate of appropriateness for tree removal in a local historic district. Several cities do; Des Moines Chapter 58 was not read for this entry.
— Whether Chapter 50 (Floodplains) restricts vegetation removal on a floodplain lot.
— Whether the city Forestry Division will confirm in writing that no private-tree permit exists. The city's own pages describe what Forestry maintains but never answer the private-property question directly, so what is reported above is the code text, not a city statement.

Sources

Who to contact in Des Moines

Forestry Division, Des Moines Department of Public Works. The city states: "The Forestry division is responsible for trees on public property or in the City's right-of-way." The named contact is Dan Just, Urban Forestry Project Manager.

(515) 283-4950, the Public Works 24/7 customer service line. City Hall main line: (515) 283-4500. publicworks@dmgov.org Official page

Municipal Service Center 2, 1700 Maury St., Des Moines, IA 50317. Office hours Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Cost Calculators

Find Tree Services

Browse tree trimming and removal companies in Des Moines.

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 Des Moines

Trees on public property. Section 122-3: "No person shall remove, prune, cut, molest, break, deface, destroy, spray, repair or do surgery work upon any tree or part thereof or in any manner interfere with, disturb or injure any tree, shrub or plant upon the public property of the city." The clause reaches public property only, and pruning is named alongside removal, so you may not prune a city tree either.

Trees standing in a street or the parking strip, where removal is for construction. Section 122-5: "Any person desiring to remove a live tree or shrub standing on a street or parking thereof for construction of walks, drives, buildings or any other structures for his or her own gain or purposes shall first obtain a permit from the forestry division. If a permit is issued the permittee must pay the cost of removal of such tree or shrub or the permittee may remove the tree or shrub at the permittee's own expense."

The public highway is broader than the pavement. Section 122-1: "Public highway means all of the land lying between property lines on either side of all public streets, boulevards and alleys." The city's Forestry Division says the right-of-way it maintains includes "the paved portion of a street and a border area between the pavement and the adjoining property."

Dead, diseased or dangerous trees on PRIVATE property, which the code treats as something you must remove rather than something you need permission to remove. Section 122-11(a): "No property owner shall maintain or permit to stand upon his or her property any tree, shrub, plant or part thereof which is dead, diseased, or so damaged as to be a menace to public safety."

Trees infected with Dutch elm disease or oak wilt, and any dead oak or elm that still has its bark, anywhere in the city. Section 122-13(a): "any owner, occupant or person in control of any property shall remove at his or her own expense any tree, brush, wood or debris infected with Dutch elm disease or oak wilt or any dead oak or elm which retains bark found thereon when so notified by the forestry division."

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee

No fee is set for removing a private tree, because no permit exists. Section 122-59 does authorize a fee to inspect a tree for disease: "Fees for city inspection of a tree shall be paid to the city treasurer in an amount set therefor by resolution of the city council, provided fees for inspections not requested by the owner or the owner's representative shall be assessed only against those trees showing evidence of disease which requires removal of the tree." The section defines "private property" as "property not owned by the city," so this fee can reach a private yard tree. The resolution setting the dollar amount is not published in the code.

Penalties

Section 122-26: "Any person who fails to perform an act required by this chapter or who commits an act prohibited by this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by fine as provided by section 1-15 of this Code or shall be guilty of a municipal infraction punishable by a civil penalty as provided by section 1-15 of this Code." The separate and more likely consequence is cost recovery: under Sections 122-11(c) and 122-13(b) the forestry division removes the tree itself and certifies the cost to the county for collection "in the same manner as general property taxes."

Ordinance

Des Moines Municipal Code Chapter 122 (Vegetation), Article I (In General) and Article II (Trees). The substantive sections are old: Sections 122-3, 122-5, 122-11, 122-12 and 122-13 all trace to the 1942, 1954 and 1962 codes and carry no amendment newer than the 1991 recodification, except Section 122-13, last touched by Ordinance No. 11,524. Section 122-2, on the powers of the sanitation administrator, was repealed outright by Ord. No. 15,044, Section 1, adopted September 12, 2011. Section 122-26 (penalties) was amended by Ordinances 11,950, 13,648 and 15,608. Code codified through Ordinance No. 16,558, adopted May 18, 2026 (Supp. No. 37).

Worth knowing

The code protects you from your neighbor and from the utility, not from the city. Section 122-10(d): "Except as provided by subsection (c) of this section, no tree, bush or shrub shall be removed without the written consent of the owner of the property upon which the tree, bush or shrub is located." Subsection (c) is the city's own abatement power over branches obstructing a street or sidewalk.
A utility or anyone else trimming a tree they do not own must give you 15 days written notice first under Section 122-10(a)(1), unless the work is needed "to restore electrical service or relieve a public emergency."
Your overhanging branches are your job. Section 122-10(b) requires the owner of any tree overhanging a street or sidewalk to keep "a clear space of eight feet above the surface of the sidewalk and a clear space of 12 feet above the surface of the street."
Oak wilt appears in the Des Moines code by name, but only as a duty to cut, not as a seasonal pruning ban. Unlike several Wisconsin cities, Des Moines does not prohibit pruning oaks during the spring and summer infection season anywhere in Chapter 122.
Des Moines does not license tree services. A section-by-section read of Chapter 30 (Businesses) found no arborist, tree trimmer or tree service license; its articles cover going-out-of-business sales, cigarette dealers, vending machines, donation bins, parking lots, house-number painting, bondsmen, secondhand goods, after-hours business and massage therapy. Vetting a tree company is entirely on you.
Planting a tree in the right-of-way is the one thing a Des Moines homeowner clearly does need a permit for. Section 122-15(a) requires a forestry division permit to "plant or set out any tree in or on any public highway, street or boulevard," and the city runs a Street Tree Program that issues that permit at no cost.
The code lets the city special-assess the cost of planting, pruning, removing or maintaining street trees against the abutting lot (Sections 122-16 through 122-23), with a published schedule, a 20-day objection window and certification to the county treasurer.

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.

— The dollar amount of the diseased-tree inspection fee. Section 122-59 sets it "by resolution of the city council" and the resolution is not reproduced in the code or published on the Forestry pages.
— The fine and civil penalty amounts in Section 1-15, which Section 122-26 incorporates by reference. Section 1-15 was not read for this entry.
— Whether Des Moines Chapter 135, the Planning and Design Ordinance, imposes any tree preservation or landscaping duty that could reach a single-family lot. Chapter 135 was enacted by Ordinance No. 15,817, adopted October 16, 2019, effective December 15, 2019, and its text is not carried in Municode - the code entry says only "The user's attention is directed to the new Planning and Design Ordinance." We did not read it, so we are not characterizing it either way.
— Whether Chapter 58 (Historical Preservation) requires a certificate of appropriateness for tree removal in a local historic district. Several cities do; Des Moines Chapter 58 was not read for this entry.
— Whether Chapter 50 (Floodplains) restricts vegetation removal on a floodplain lot.
— Whether the city Forestry Division will confirm in writing that no private-tree permit exists. The city's own pages describe what Forestry maintains but never answer the private-property question directly, so what is reported above is the code text, not a city statement.