Do you need a permit?
It depends on the tree
For a tree in a Fort Collins residential yard, the permit requirement does not apply — Chapter 27 attaches the permit to trees in the right-of-way, trees on city property, and trees 15 inches diameter or greater on commercial property. What does follow the work onto your private lot is the arborist license: the business you hire must be licensed by the City Forester before it can cut, trim, prune or remove your tree at a height of ten feet or more.
Size threshold
Fifteen (15) inches diameter or greater, for a tree planted on commercial property. Trees in the public right-of-way and on City-owned property require a permit at any size.
What's protected in Fort Collins
- Any tree within the public right-of-way of a street or sidewalk
- Trees on other City-owned property
- Trees of fifteen (15) inches diameter or greater planted on commercial property
Fees, penalties, and the ordinance
- Fee
- Free. Chapter 27 calls it a "free permit from the office of the City Forester."
- Ordinance
- Fort Collins Municipal Code Chapter 27 (Vegetation), Article II (Trees and Shrubs), Division 2 (Permits and Licenses)
Worth knowing
- The permit rule covers anyone "desiring to plant, treat, cut, trim, prune, or remove any tree within the public right-of-way of any street or sidewalk, or upon other City-owned property within the City, or to remove any tree planted upon any commercial property with a diameter of fifteen (15) inches or greater."
- It is unlawful for a business to cut, trim, prune or remove trees where the necessary cuts are made at ten feet or greater above the ground, or to fell trees for commercial gain, without an arborist license from the City Forester.
- Licence applicants are examined by interview, written exam and/or field test, and no license issues without commercial general liability coverage of at least one million dollars per occurrence.
- A licensee must perform all work "on public or private property within the City" per the City Forester's standards — so the license reaches your private lot even where no permit is needed.
- The Forestry Division publishes a current list of licensed arborists. Ask to see the license before you hire.
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 any tree on private residential property is individually protected — for example under the Land Use Code during development review.
- — Penalties for removing a regulated tree without a permit.
- — Both fortcollins.gov and the Municode library block automated page reads, so the code language was confirmed via domain-restricted search. Verify current wording before relying on it.