Tree Removal Permits in Peoria, AZ

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

Do you need a permit?

No permit required for most private trees

Peoria genuinely has a Tree Ordinance, a City Arborist and a tree permit, and none of it touches your yard. City Code section 7-50 limits the ordinance to "tree resources in the public rights-of-way, and park and recreation area in the City," and section 7-55 requires written permission from the City Arborist only for a tree "within any City maintained right of way, park and recreation area or other public place." The zoning code's Landscape section separately exempts individual single-family and duplex lots, and the Native Plant Permit only exists north of Pinnacle Peak Road and only in a development context. So: no permit for your own tree, written permission required for the strip out front.

Size threshold

There is no size threshold for private lots. The 14-inch figure in the code is what makes a PUBLIC tree covered, and it is circumference, not diameter. Section 7-51 defines both Park Trees and Street Trees as "Shrubs, bushes and all other woody vegetation, whose individual or combined trunks measure greater than 14" in circumferences at 4'6" above the natural grade" — roughly 4.5 inches of diameter. A separate 8-inch figure appears in the Desert Lands Conservation Overlay at section 21-671.B.10, which defines a "Significant Vegetation Specimen" as "A native tree with an 8" or greater caliper trunk and multi-trunk in good health, a saguaro over 20 feet in height and/or multiple arms or crest or other unusual configuration in good health, or other mature protected species, such as Ocotillo." That is a development site-analysis item, not a homeowner permit trigger.

What's protected in Peoria

Street trees and park trees. Section 7-55: "No person shall plant, remove, cut above the ground or disturb any tree within any City maintained right of way, park and recreation area or other public place without first obtaining written permission from the City Arborist."
Tree topping on public property, which section 7-56 makes unlawful as a normal practice for any street tree, park tree or other tree on public property.
Protected native plants inside the Desert Lands Conservation Overlay, which section 21-670 places "north of Pinnacle Peak Road." The Native Plant Permit at section 21-675 is development-triggered: "No Native Plant Permit shall be issued unless an application is submitted in conjunction with an existing or proposed development that requires administrative approval, Planning and Zoning Commission approval, City Council approval, Board of Adjustment approval, or approval of a plat."
Mapped Natural Open Space areas. Section 21-674.A.12: "Within areas identified as NOS, no grading or other disturbance shall occur except the minimum grading required for trails, roadways and utility easements." NOS can sit on an individual lot where the minimum finished lot size exceeds 24,000 square feet, and section 21-674.A.9 requires its boundaries to be marked in the field.
Landscaping installed under an approved landscape plan, on the properties the Landscape section reaches. Section 21-821.B.1.b: "Required landscaping must be maintained in a healthy, growing condition at all times ... Any plant that dies must be replaced with another living plant that complies with the approved landscape plan within thirty (30) days after notification by the City."

How to apply in Peoria

1
For a tree in a City-maintained right-of-way, park or other public place, get written permission from the City Arborist before any planting, removal, cutting above ground or disturbance (section 7-55).
2
If the City Arborist rules against you, section 7-59 gives you ten business days to appeal to the City Manager.
3
For a Native Plant Permit in the Desert Lands Conservation Overlay, submit to the Planning Department with the fee: a Native Plant Preservation Plan by a botanist, biologist, ecologist or licensed landscape architect; three copies of the site plan aerial with plat overlay showing tagged plants; three copies of a plant inventory by a city-approved salvage contractor; the temporary nursery location; an owner letter of authorization; and a copy of the form notifying the Arizona Department of Agriculture Native Plant Section.
4
Color-tag the plants before you submit: blue means destruction, red means relocation, white means remain (section 21-675.J).

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee: No fee exists for a residential tree removal permit, consistent with no such permit existing. Fee Table 27-8 lists a Native Plant Permit at $200.00, a Landscape Permit at $240.00, and Single-Family Residential Landscape Plan Review at $184.00 per sheet.
Penalties: Tree Ordinance, section 7-60: "civil infraction ... civil sanction not to exceed two hundred and fifty dollars ($250.00) ... Each day any violation ... shall constitute a separate violation or offense." Native Plant Permit violations are far heavier — section 21-675.N.1 makes them a "Class 1 misdemeanor which, upon conviction, may be punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500.00), or by imprisonment for a term not to exceed six (6) months, or by both," with mandatory site restoration before any new permit issues; where restoration is waived, the value is $300.00 per caliper inch for protected native trees and $200.00 per foot for protected native cacti, capped at $10,000.00 per plant. Right-of-way construction without a permit draws a civil penalty of "not less than two hundred dollars nor more than two thousand, five hundred dollars" (section 23-51(c)).
Ordinance: Peoria City Code Chapter 7, sections 7-50 through 7-60 (Tree Ordinance), repealed and enacted by Ord. No. 08-32, November 18, 2008 and amended by Ord. No. 2017-26, sections 33 through 43, June 13, 2017. Zoning is Chapter 21 of the City Code; the Landscape sections 21-815 through 21-822 were last amended by Ord. No. 2017-33, June 13, 2017 with section 21-816 further amended by Ord. No. 2024-19, section 2(Exh. A), December 17, 2024. The Desert Lands Conservation Overlay, sections 21-670 through 21-679, was adopted by Ord. No. 04-201, October 6, 2004 and last amended by Ord. No. 2024-19, December 17, 2024. Code current through Ordinance 2026-15, passed June 16, 2026 (supplement 2026 S-9).

Worth knowing

Chapter 17 puts removal duties on every owner, single-family included. Section 17-3(j)(3) requires the premises "including the right-of-way, up to the curb line of the street" to be free from "Overgrown vegetation, dead trees, brush, and weeds," and section 17-3(k) bars plant growth "that is dead, dormant, or so dry as to be readily flammable or combustible."
Section 17-3(u) requires a dirt front yard visible from a roadway to be covered with rock or landscaping within 60 days of final utility clearance, so stripping a yard bare is a violation even where the removal itself was not.
Section 17-3(o) bans planting mulberry (Morus alba) or olive (Olea europaea) unless it is a non-pollinating variety. That is a planting rule.
Section 7-54 puts maintenance of a right-of-way tree you planted with prior written permission on you. Medians and park areas stay with the Community Services Department.
The Hillside Development Overlay is broader than the Desert Lands overlay and is not confined to north Peoria. Section 21-650.B: it "applies to all land wherever the natural terrain of any lot or parcel or any portion thereof has a slope of ten percent (10%) or greater." It regulates grading, disturbed-area percentages and construction rather than tree removal, and its triggers are development permits — but section 21-650.D adds that "Conservation features identified in Section 21-671 shall be preserved in accordance with that Section," which is the section carrying the Significant Vegetation Specimen definition. If your lot is sloped, ask about that link. Last amended by Ord. No. 2024-19, section 2(Exh. A), December 17, 2024.
A PAD or HOA landscape plan can impose private obligations the city code does not. Section 21-816.B.2 confirms PAD lots approved with their own landscape plan exist.

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.

— A direct phone number or email for the City Arborist. The code names the position as a Community Services Department designee but no direct line is published on any reachable page. Go through 623-773-7000 or Planning and Zoning at 623-773-7200.
— Whether written City Arborist permission carries a fee, and what the application process is. Section 7-55 requires the permission but prescribes no procedure, and no right-of-way tree line item appears in Fee Table 27-8.
— A real contradiction inside section 21-675, reported rather than resolved: the section states "The builder of a single family dwelling on an individual lot not part of a subdivision or part of a subdivision plat approved prior to September 14, 2004 shall not be required to prepare a NPPP, but shall be required to perform plant salvaging and transplanting tasks for Protected Plants," and subsection C adds "The developer of a single family custom home shall not require a Native Plant Permit." Exempt from the permit but still obliged to salvage. The code does not reconcile these.
— The precise mapped extent of the Desert Lands Conservation Overlay and of Natural Open Space on any specific parcel. The code gives the rule; parcel-level mapping needs the city GIS or zoning map.
— Whether the Planning and Zoning phone, email and address changed after March 2025. They were read from an archived snapshot because peoriaaz.gov blocks automated access and could not be checked against the live page.

Sources

Who to contact in Peoria

Planning and Zoning, City of Peoria. Right-of-way and park trees: the City Arborist, an ISA-certified employee designated by the Director of the Community Services Department (section 7-51).

623-773-7200 (Planning and Zoning). Building Division permits 623-773-7225. City Hall main line (623) 773-7000. planning@peoriaaz.gov Official page

9875 N. 85th Avenue, 1st Floor, Peoria, AZ 85345. Open Monday through Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., closed Friday.

Cost Calculators

Find Tree Services

Browse tree trimming and removal companies in Peoria.

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.

Size threshold

What's protected in Peoria

Street trees and park trees. Section 7-55: "No person shall plant, remove, cut above the ground or disturb any tree within any City maintained right of way, park and recreation area or other public place without first obtaining written permission from the City Arborist."

Tree topping on public property, which section 7-56 makes unlawful as a normal practice for any street tree, park tree or other tree on public property.

Protected native plants inside the Desert Lands Conservation Overlay, which section 21-670 places "north of Pinnacle Peak Road." The Native Plant Permit at section 21-675 is development-triggered: "No Native Plant Permit shall be issued unless an application is submitted in conjunction with an existing or proposed development that requires administrative approval, Planning and Zoning Commission approval, City Council approval, Board of Adjustment approval, or approval of a plat."

Mapped Natural Open Space areas. Section 21-674.A.12: "Within areas identified as NOS, no grading or other disturbance shall occur except the minimum grading required for trails, roadways and utility easements." NOS can sit on an individual lot where the minimum finished lot size exceeds 24,000 square feet, and section 21-674.A.9 requires its boundaries to be marked in the field.

Landscaping installed under an approved landscape plan, on the properties the Landscape section reaches. Section 21-821.B.1.b: "Required landscaping must be maintained in a healthy, growing condition at all times ... Any plant that dies must be replaced with another living plant that complies with the approved landscape plan within thirty (30) days after notification by the City."

How to apply in Peoria

1
For a tree in a City-maintained right-of-way, park or other public place, get written permission from the City Arborist before any planting, removal, cutting above ground or disturbance (section 7-55).
2
If the City Arborist rules against you, section 7-59 gives you ten business days to appeal to the City Manager.
3
For a Native Plant Permit in the Desert Lands Conservation Overlay, submit to the Planning Department with the fee: a Native Plant Preservation Plan by a botanist, biologist, ecologist or licensed landscape architect; three copies of the site plan aerial with plat overlay showing tagged plants; three copies of a plant inventory by a city-approved salvage contractor; the temporary nursery location; an owner letter of authorization; and a copy of the form notifying the Arizona Department of Agriculture Native Plant Section.
4
Color-tag the plants before you submit: blue means destruction, red means relocation, white means remain (section 21-675.J).

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee

No fee exists for a residential tree removal permit, consistent with no such permit existing. Fee Table 27-8 lists a Native Plant Permit at $200.00, a Landscape Permit at $240.00, and Single-Family Residential Landscape Plan Review at $184.00 per sheet.

Penalties

Tree Ordinance, section 7-60: "civil infraction ... civil sanction not to exceed two hundred and fifty dollars ($250.00) ... Each day any violation ... shall constitute a separate violation or offense." Native Plant Permit violations are far heavier — section 21-675.N.1 makes them a "Class 1 misdemeanor which, upon conviction, may be punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500.00), or by imprisonment for a term not to exceed six (6) months, or by both," with mandatory site restoration before any new permit issues; where restoration is waived, the value is $300.00 per caliper inch for protected native trees and $200.00 per foot for protected native cacti, capped at $10,000.00 per plant. Right-of-way construction without a permit draws a civil penalty of "not less than two hundred dollars nor more than two thousand, five hundred dollars" (section 23-51(c)).

Ordinance

Peoria City Code Chapter 7, sections 7-50 through 7-60 (Tree Ordinance), repealed and enacted by Ord. No. 08-32, November 18, 2008 and amended by Ord. No. 2017-26, sections 33 through 43, June 13, 2017. Zoning is Chapter 21 of the City Code; the Landscape sections 21-815 through 21-822 were last amended by Ord. No. 2017-33, June 13, 2017 with section 21-816 further amended by Ord. No. 2024-19, section 2(Exh. A), December 17, 2024. The Desert Lands Conservation Overlay, sections 21-670 through 21-679, was adopted by Ord. No. 04-201, October 6, 2004 and last amended by Ord. No. 2024-19, December 17, 2024. Code current through Ordinance 2026-15, passed June 16, 2026 (supplement 2026 S-9).

Worth knowing

Chapter 17 puts removal duties on every owner, single-family included. Section 17-3(j)(3) requires the premises "including the right-of-way, up to the curb line of the street" to be free from "Overgrown vegetation, dead trees, brush, and weeds," and section 17-3(k) bars plant growth "that is dead, dormant, or so dry as to be readily flammable or combustible."
Section 17-3(u) requires a dirt front yard visible from a roadway to be covered with rock or landscaping within 60 days of final utility clearance, so stripping a yard bare is a violation even where the removal itself was not.
Section 17-3(o) bans planting mulberry (Morus alba) or olive (Olea europaea) unless it is a non-pollinating variety. That is a planting rule.
Section 7-54 puts maintenance of a right-of-way tree you planted with prior written permission on you. Medians and park areas stay with the Community Services Department.
The Hillside Development Overlay is broader than the Desert Lands overlay and is not confined to north Peoria. Section 21-650.B: it "applies to all land wherever the natural terrain of any lot or parcel or any portion thereof has a slope of ten percent (10%) or greater." It regulates grading, disturbed-area percentages and construction rather than tree removal, and its triggers are development permits — but section 21-650.D adds that "Conservation features identified in Section 21-671 shall be preserved in accordance with that Section," which is the section carrying the Significant Vegetation Specimen definition. If your lot is sloped, ask about that link. Last amended by Ord. No. 2024-19, section 2(Exh. A), December 17, 2024.
A PAD or HOA landscape plan can impose private obligations the city code does not. Section 21-816.B.2 confirms PAD lots approved with their own landscape plan exist.

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.

— A direct phone number or email for the City Arborist. The code names the position as a Community Services Department designee but no direct line is published on any reachable page. Go through 623-773-7000 or Planning and Zoning at 623-773-7200.
— Whether written City Arborist permission carries a fee, and what the application process is. Section 7-55 requires the permission but prescribes no procedure, and no right-of-way tree line item appears in Fee Table 27-8.
— A real contradiction inside section 21-675, reported rather than resolved: the section states "The builder of a single family dwelling on an individual lot not part of a subdivision or part of a subdivision plat approved prior to September 14, 2004 shall not be required to prepare a NPPP, but shall be required to perform plant salvaging and transplanting tasks for Protected Plants," and subsection C adds "The developer of a single family custom home shall not require a Native Plant Permit." Exempt from the permit but still obliged to salvage. The code does not reconcile these.
— The precise mapped extent of the Desert Lands Conservation Overlay and of Natural Open Space on any specific parcel. The code gives the rule; parcel-level mapping needs the city GIS or zoning map.
— Whether the Planning and Zoning phone, email and address changed after March 2025. They were read from an archived snapshot because peoriaaz.gov blocks automated access and could not be checked against the live page.