Do You Need a Permit to Remove a Tree?

You are standing on the lawn with a chainsaw, wondering if the city will fine you

In most cases, you do not need a permit to remove a tree on private property in Des Moines, as long as the tree is on your own land and is not in the city right-of-way or a protected zone. The rules change when the tree sits between the sidewalk and the curb, when it is part of a designated historic or conservation area, or when it is a species the city protects.

That is the short answer. The longer answer depends on where the trunk meets the ground, not on how much of a nuisance the tree has become. A silver maple dropping limbs on your roof is still a private tree if its trunk is inside your property line. The same maple planted in the boulevard strip belongs to the city, and removing it without permission can trigger a fine or a replacement requirement.

Before you cut, walk the property line and locate the right-of-way. In Des Moines, the right-of-way is usually the strip between the curb and the sidewalk, but it can also be the first several feet inside a fence line on older lots. If you are not sure where your property ends, your county assessor's map shows the legal boundary. That map is the first thing we ask a caller to check.

The short version

• Private tree, inside your property line, no special overlay: no city permit required for removal in most cases.
• Tree in the right-of-way or boulevard strip: city permission is required before removal.
• Tree in a historic district, conservation area, or on a designated landmark list: check with the city before any cut.
• Dead, diseased, or storm-damaged trees that pose an immediate hazard: rules still apply, but the process can move faster when you document the condition.

How do I know if the tree is mine or the city's?

Look at the trunk, not the canopy. The owner of the ground where the trunk enters the soil is the owner of the tree, even if half the branches hang over your driveway. In Des Moines, that means a tree rooted in the boulevard strip between the curb and the sidewalk is a city tree, and a tree rooted inside your lot line is yours.

Right-of-way widths vary by street and by plat. On a standard residential block, the strip is often 8 to 12 feet wide, but older neighborhoods can have wider or narrower easements. If the trunk sits within a few feet of the curb, treat it as city property until you confirm otherwise. Your county assessor's parcel map and the city's public works department are the two places to check. We ask callers to have that answer ready before we schedule anything, because it changes who signs off on the work.

There is one more case that catches people: a tree on your lot that was planted as part of a city street tree program. Even if it is inside your line, it may be tracked in a city inventory. A quick call to the city forestry office settles it.

What about historic districts and protected trees?

If your property is in a local historic district or a conservation overlay, you likely need approval before removing a tree, even a private one. Des Moines has designated historic districts where exterior changes, including tree removal, can require a certificate of appropriateness or a similar review. The same applies to trees that the city has formally listed as heritage or landmark trees.

Protected species lists change, and we do not guess at them. The reliable move is to call the city's community development or forestry office with your address and ask two questions: is this parcel in an overlay, and is this species on any protected list. Write down the name of the person you spoke with and the date. If a neighbor later complains, that note is your paper trail.

For a dead tree in an overlay, the review is usually simpler than for a healthy one, because the city's concern is canopy loss. Have photos ready showing the trunk, the canopy, and any decay or fungal growth. That documentation is also what we use to plan the removal safely.

When does a tree become an emergency, and does that skip the permit?

A tree is an emergency when it is already failing: a split trunk, a root plate lifting out of the soil, a limb resting on a roof or a power line, or a lean that has changed since the last storm. Even then, the permit rules do not disappear. What changes is the order of operations: you secure the hazard first, then sort out paperwork.

If a limb is on a power line, do not touch the tree. Call the utility. That is not a permit question; it is a life-safety question, and utility crews handle line clearance. If a tree is on your house or blocking a driveway, the city generally wants the hazard addressed, and the forestry office can tell you what documentation they need afterward. Take dated photos before any cut.

Here is how we triage a tree that is still standing:

• Watch: dead lower limbs, small cracks in the bark, a slight lean that has been there for years. Schedule an assessment and keep an eye on it through the next wind event.
• Soon: a new lean, soil heaving at the base, mushrooms at the root flare, or a large dead limb over a roof or driveway. Get it looked at within days, not months.
• Now: a split trunk, a root plate lifting, a limb on a structure or line, or a tree that moved during the last storm. Keep people away and call the utility if lines are involved.

What does the removal itself involve, and what drives the cost?

The cost of removing a tree depends on height, trunk diameter, species, lean, proximity to structures and wires, and how much of the wood has to be rigged down rather than dropped. There is no single number that applies to every tree, and any figure quoted over the phone without seeing the tree is a guess. An accurate price requires an on-site look at the tree and the drop zone.

What we look at when we walk a property:

• Height and spread, because a 60-foot oak over a roof needs rigging and a 20-foot ornamental can often be felled in place.
• Trunk diameter at breast height, which tells us the weight and the size of the cuts.
• Lean and root condition, because a tree with a lifting root plate behaves differently under load.
• Obstacles: fences, sheds, power drops, retaining walls, and the distance to the nearest safe drop zone.
• Access: whether a truck and chipper can reach the tree, or whether everything has to be carried out by hand.
• Disposal: whether the homeowner wants the wood left, the chips left, or everything hauled away.

Permits, when they apply, add a step rather than a mystery. If the tree is in the right-of-way, the city may require a permit application, and some permits carry a replacement tree requirement. We ask callers to start that conversation with the city early, because approval can take weeks, and the tree is not getting safer while you wait.

What should I ask before anyone starts cutting?

Ask who is responsible for confirming the permit status, and get that answer in writing before work begins. If the tree is in the right-of-way or an overlay, the permit is the property owner's responsibility in most cases, but the removal plan has to match what the city approved. Ask how the crew will protect the lawn, the driveway, and any nearby structures. Ask where the wood and chips go. Ask what happens if a hidden defect shows up mid-cut, such as a hollow trunk or a nest.

Ask for the scope in writing: which tree, which limbs, what is left on site, and what is hauled away. If a stump is part of the job, ask whether grinding is included and how deep the grind goes. A stump ground six inches below grade and a stump ground twelve inches below grade are different jobs with different follow-up needs for replanting.

Finally, ask about timing relative to the permit. If the city requires an inspection after removal, the crew needs to know that before the last log leaves the property. We would rather reschedule a cut than have a homeowner cited for a removal that was otherwise done correctly.