Tree Removal Permits in Green Bay, WI

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

Do you need a permit?

No permit required for most private trees

Green Bay regulates public trees, not the one in your back yard. The permit clause at Section 28-36(a) reaches "any public tree," and the article states its own limit: it covers private trees only where they "constitute a hazard or threat." Two things still bind you. Anyone you hire must hold a city Tree and Brush Trimmer license and pull a per-job permit from Public Works, and the City Forester has banned pruning any oak tree anywhere in Green Bay between March 15 and October 15 to slow oak wilt.

Size threshold

None for private tree removal. The only diameter table in the ordinance is the tree protection zone around public trees at Section 28-34(c), keyed to "Tree Diameter at 4 1/2 Feet Above Ground": 0 to 4.0 inches gives a 2-foot radius, 4.1 to 9.0 inches gives 5 feet, 9.1 to 14.0 inches gives 10 feet, 14.1 to 19.0 inches gives 12 feet, and 19.1 inches or more gives 15 feet.

What's protected in Green Bay

Public trees. Section 28-36(a): "No person shall plant, spray, fertilize, preserve, prune, remove, cut or otherwise disturb any public tree, or portion thereof, without first submitting a written request and procuring a permit from the City Forester." Section 28-34(a) adds that it is unlawful "to plant, prune, or remove any tree (or portion thereof), shrub, or other plant upon any public property without a permit."
Public property, defined at Section 28-32 as "property within the City limits of the City of Green Bay and owned, maintained, and controlled by the City or implied or expressly dedicated to the public... for purposes of vehicular or pedestrian traffic or for public easements." The zoning code separately defines the terrace area as "the space between the street pavement and the sidewalk, if any, excluding the driveway apron, often landscaped with grass and street trees."
Hazard trees on private property. Section 28-32 defines Hazard as "any tree with an infectious disease or insect problem; dead or dying trees; a tree or limb that obstructs streetlights, traffic signs, or the free passage of pedestrians or vehicles; a tree that poses a threat to safety." Section 28-31 confirms the article reaches private trees only where they "constitute a hazard or threat as described herein."
Every oak tree in the city, seasonally. The City Forester has imposed "a ban on the pruning or wounding of any oak trees growing within the City limits of Green Bay, during the period from March 15 to October 15," under the authority of Section 28-33(c)(6).

How to apply in Green Bay

1
For a private tree there is no application. For a city or terrace tree, submit a request through the GB Services portal at rfs.greenbaywi.gov/requestforservice/ or call (920) 448-3365.
2
If you are hiring a tree service, check the city's published list of licensed firms first - 23 companies are currently approved and every license expires December 31, 2026.
3
Contractors apply through the City Clerk's Office, Room 106, with the license fee and a 1,000 dollar bond. Public Works then recommends approval, the application goes to the Improvement and Service Committee and then Council, and the license is mailed on approval.
4
Section 10-600 separately requires that "All licensed trimmers shall, before beginning a new job for hire, obtain a trimming permit from the Department of Public Works."

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee: There is no homeowner tree removal permit and therefore no fee. On the contractor side the city fee schedule lists code section 10-599, "Tree and brush trimmer license fee," at 25.00 dollars for 2026, and Section 10-599(e)(2) requires the applicant to file "a bond to the City in the sum of $1,000.00" before a license issues. The right-of-way obstruction permit is described by the city as free.
Penalties: Section 28-37(a): "Any person found to disturb the root zone, prune, remove, or cause the removal or death of any public tree, shrub, or other plant without a permit shall be subject to a forfeiture of not less than $500.00 per incident nor more than the greater of $1,500.00 or the calculated value lost according to the latest edition of the Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers 'Guide for Plant Appraisal.'" Other violations of the article run 25 to 1,500 dollars. Section 10-603(a): trimming or cutting trees for hire without a license draws "a forfeiture of not less than $100.00 nor more than $1,000.00." A revoked trimmer cannot be relicensed for 12 months.
Ordinance: Green Bay Municipal Code chapter 28 (Parks and Recreation), Article II - Urban Forests, Sections 28-31 through 28-38, derived from Code 1984 Section 25.21 and amended by Ord. No. 2-07, Ord. No. 18-09 and Ord. No. 32-12. Contractor licensing is at chapter 10 (Businesses), Article XV - Tree and Brush Trimmers, Sections 10-598 through 10-604, from Code 1984 Section 9.20 and Ord. No. 7-19, Sections 1 and 2, adopted March 5, 2019. Code current through Ordinance No. 41-25, enacted February 20, 2026 (Supp. No. 9).

Worth knowing

How to tell whose tree it is, in the city's own words: "City trees are typically located in the homeowner's front yard in the grassy area between the sidewalk and the street... If you do not have a sidewalk, you can determine if a tree belongs to the City by looking for the sidewalk shaped pieces in your driveway. The edge of those sidewalk pieces closest to the house is normally the edge of the right-of-way... Trees located in backyards are private trees."
You may do a little work on your terrace tree by hand and nothing more. The city allows a homeowner to prune basal sprouts and low branches "with a hand saw or hand pruner," and states that "Using chainsaws, ladders, power pole pruners, and climbing up into the tree is prohibited."
The oak pruning ban is reported two ways by the city and both are given here. The Tree Care page says the ban covers "any oak trees." The Forestry FAQ says "Oak and Elm have a pruning ban from March 15 to October 15." If an oak must come down during the ban, the city says the cut surface needs to be treated with tree paint.
The duty to cut is real and short-fused. Section 28-35(b) gives an owner 15 days to treat or remove a private tree with "a communicable disease or insect infestation which threatens the health of the urban forest," and Section 28-35(c) gives the same 15 days for a hazardous tree threatening the right-of-way. If you do not act, the city enters "without compensation to such owner" and charges you.
Cleanup after a hired job is legally the contractor's, never the city's. Section 10-601 makes the licensee dispose of all trimmings, backs it with the 1,000 dollar bond, and bars further permits until the bond is replenished. But if you cut your own private ash yourself, the city says "the wood can be put to the curb and Department of Public Works would pick it up."
Green Bay declines to referee neighbor tree disputes: "There is no ordinance that states you can cut your neighbor's tree. We advise both parties to agree upon a solution."
Digging near a terrace tree needs a permit even if you are working from your own yard. Section 28-36(c) covers any excavation "within a radius of 15 feet from any public tree."
Section 28-38 lets the Mayor, with Council approval, waive the article after windstorms, ice storms or other disasters.

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.

— Adoption dates for Ord. No. 2-07, Ord. No. 18-09 and Ord. No. 32-12. The code's own Comparative Table prints those rows with the date cells blank.
— Whether emerald ash borer caused any amendment to the tree article. The city runs an active EAB program treating about 2,300 ash trees, but the codified amendments carry no published dates or subjects, so no causal claim is made.
— Whether costs the city charges under Section 28-35 become a special assessment or a tax lien. The article says only "shall charge the owners for the expense incurred," with no lien mechanism stated.
— Whether elm is actually covered by the seasonal pruning ban. Two official city pages disagree and both are quoted above.
— Whether the Section 10-600 per-job trimming permit is still separately administered or has been folded into the free obstruction permit. The city's Tree and Brush Trimmer page describes only the obstruction permit.
— The valuation method used when a resident asks to remove a healthy terrace tree to widen a driveway. The city says the citizen "may have to pay for the value of the tree" but publishes no schedule.
— The contents of the Forestry Program Manual, which Section 28-32 defines and Section 28-33(c)(6) makes operative. No copy was found on greenbaywi.gov.

Sources

Who to contact in Green Bay

Forestry Division, City of Green Bay Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department. City Forester: Brian Pelot. Contractor licensing is handled by the City Clerk; trimming and right-of-way permits by the Department of Public Works.

(920) 448-3365 for Forestry. City Forester direct: (920) 448-3378. City Clerk, for licenses: 920-448-3010. Public Works: 920-448-3100. Operations and brush: 920-448-3535. parkmail@greenbaywi.gov, or brian.pelot@greenbaywi.gov Official page

100 N Jefferson Street, Room 510, Green Bay, WI 54301. Hours are Monday through Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Friday 7:30 to 11:30 a.m.

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Size threshold

What's protected in Green Bay

Public trees. Section 28-36(a): "No person shall plant, spray, fertilize, preserve, prune, remove, cut or otherwise disturb any public tree, or portion thereof, without first submitting a written request and procuring a permit from the City Forester." Section 28-34(a) adds that it is unlawful "to plant, prune, or remove any tree (or portion thereof), shrub, or other plant upon any public property without a permit."

Public property, defined at Section 28-32 as "property within the City limits of the City of Green Bay and owned, maintained, and controlled by the City or implied or expressly dedicated to the public... for purposes of vehicular or pedestrian traffic or for public easements." The zoning code separately defines the terrace area as "the space between the street pavement and the sidewalk, if any, excluding the driveway apron, often landscaped with grass and street trees."

Hazard trees on private property. Section 28-32 defines Hazard as "any tree with an infectious disease or insect problem; dead or dying trees; a tree or limb that obstructs streetlights, traffic signs, or the free passage of pedestrians or vehicles; a tree that poses a threat to safety." Section 28-31 confirms the article reaches private trees only where they "constitute a hazard or threat as described herein."

Every oak tree in the city, seasonally. The City Forester has imposed "a ban on the pruning or wounding of any oak trees growing within the City limits of Green Bay, during the period from March 15 to October 15," under the authority of Section 28-33(c)(6).

How to apply in Green Bay

1
For a private tree there is no application. For a city or terrace tree, submit a request through the GB Services portal at rfs.greenbaywi.gov/requestforservice/ or call (920) 448-3365.
2
If you are hiring a tree service, check the city's published list of licensed firms first - 23 companies are currently approved and every license expires December 31, 2026.
3
Contractors apply through the City Clerk's Office, Room 106, with the license fee and a 1,000 dollar bond. Public Works then recommends approval, the application goes to the Improvement and Service Committee and then Council, and the license is mailed on approval.
4
Section 10-600 separately requires that "All licensed trimmers shall, before beginning a new job for hire, obtain a trimming permit from the Department of Public Works."

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee

There is no homeowner tree removal permit and therefore no fee. On the contractor side the city fee schedule lists code section 10-599, "Tree and brush trimmer license fee," at 25.00 dollars for 2026, and Section 10-599(e)(2) requires the applicant to file "a bond to the City in the sum of $1,000.00" before a license issues. The right-of-way obstruction permit is described by the city as free.

Penalties

Section 28-37(a): "Any person found to disturb the root zone, prune, remove, or cause the removal or death of any public tree, shrub, or other plant without a permit shall be subject to a forfeiture of not less than $500.00 per incident nor more than the greater of $1,500.00 or the calculated value lost according to the latest edition of the Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers 'Guide for Plant Appraisal.'" Other violations of the article run 25 to 1,500 dollars. Section 10-603(a): trimming or cutting trees for hire without a license draws "a forfeiture of not less than $100.00 nor more than $1,000.00." A revoked trimmer cannot be relicensed for 12 months.

Ordinance

Green Bay Municipal Code chapter 28 (Parks and Recreation), Article II - Urban Forests, Sections 28-31 through 28-38, derived from Code 1984 Section 25.21 and amended by Ord. No. 2-07, Ord. No. 18-09 and Ord. No. 32-12. Contractor licensing is at chapter 10 (Businesses), Article XV - Tree and Brush Trimmers, Sections 10-598 through 10-604, from Code 1984 Section 9.20 and Ord. No. 7-19, Sections 1 and 2, adopted March 5, 2019. Code current through Ordinance No. 41-25, enacted February 20, 2026 (Supp. No. 9).

Worth knowing

How to tell whose tree it is, in the city's own words: "City trees are typically located in the homeowner's front yard in the grassy area between the sidewalk and the street... If you do not have a sidewalk, you can determine if a tree belongs to the City by looking for the sidewalk shaped pieces in your driveway. The edge of those sidewalk pieces closest to the house is normally the edge of the right-of-way... Trees located in backyards are private trees."
You may do a little work on your terrace tree by hand and nothing more. The city allows a homeowner to prune basal sprouts and low branches "with a hand saw or hand pruner," and states that "Using chainsaws, ladders, power pole pruners, and climbing up into the tree is prohibited."
The oak pruning ban is reported two ways by the city and both are given here. The Tree Care page says the ban covers "any oak trees." The Forestry FAQ says "Oak and Elm have a pruning ban from March 15 to October 15." If an oak must come down during the ban, the city says the cut surface needs to be treated with tree paint.
The duty to cut is real and short-fused. Section 28-35(b) gives an owner 15 days to treat or remove a private tree with "a communicable disease or insect infestation which threatens the health of the urban forest," and Section 28-35(c) gives the same 15 days for a hazardous tree threatening the right-of-way. If you do not act, the city enters "without compensation to such owner" and charges you.
Cleanup after a hired job is legally the contractor's, never the city's. Section 10-601 makes the licensee dispose of all trimmings, backs it with the 1,000 dollar bond, and bars further permits until the bond is replenished. But if you cut your own private ash yourself, the city says "the wood can be put to the curb and Department of Public Works would pick it up."
Green Bay declines to referee neighbor tree disputes: "There is no ordinance that states you can cut your neighbor's tree. We advise both parties to agree upon a solution."
Digging near a terrace tree needs a permit even if you are working from your own yard. Section 28-36(c) covers any excavation "within a radius of 15 feet from any public tree."
Section 28-38 lets the Mayor, with Council approval, waive the article after windstorms, ice storms or other disasters.

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.

— Adoption dates for Ord. No. 2-07, Ord. No. 18-09 and Ord. No. 32-12. The code's own Comparative Table prints those rows with the date cells blank.
— Whether emerald ash borer caused any amendment to the tree article. The city runs an active EAB program treating about 2,300 ash trees, but the codified amendments carry no published dates or subjects, so no causal claim is made.
— Whether costs the city charges under Section 28-35 become a special assessment or a tax lien. The article says only "shall charge the owners for the expense incurred," with no lien mechanism stated.
— Whether elm is actually covered by the seasonal pruning ban. Two official city pages disagree and both are quoted above.
— Whether the Section 10-600 per-job trimming permit is still separately administered or has been folded into the free obstruction permit. The city's Tree and Brush Trimmer page describes only the obstruction permit.
— The valuation method used when a resident asks to remove a healthy terrace tree to widen a driveway. The city says the citizen "may have to pay for the value of the tree" but publishes no schedule.
— The contents of the Forestry Program Manual, which Section 28-32 defines and Section 28-33(c)(6) makes operative. No copy was found on greenbaywi.gov.