Tree Work Permit
When are Tree Work Permits required?
A permit is required to plant, prune, remove, or treat any tree or woody plant originating within the public right of way (area located between the curb and the sidewalk) of any street, sidewalk, or alley, or upon other town-owned property within the town without having first obtained a written permit from the Town Forester.
Private trees: No permit is required to perform any work on trees located wholly on private properties.
A Tree Work Permit is required to plant any tree or woody plant originating within the public right of way (area located between the curb and the sidewalk) of any street, sidewalk, or alley, or upon other town-owned property within the town
- A Tree Work Permit is required for all trees that are planted in the public right-of-way after the approved development landscape design plan.
- Tree Work Permits are not required to perform any work on trees located wholly on private properties.
- Optimal tree planting dates are between March 15 - June 15 and Sept. 1 – Oct. 15.
All locations and spacing of trees planted in the public right of way shall be in accordance with the specifications and requirements set forth in the most recent version of the Town of Erie Standards and Specifications.
All trees shall be placed a minimum of 10 feet from all buildings. When space is limited or a special design effect or function is desired, closer spacing can be allowed upon permission of the Parks & Recreation Director or designee.
No street trees shall be planted within 10 feet of any fire hydrant.
Coniferous trees shall be planted a minimum of 6 feet away from hardscapes (sidewalks, trails, curbs, fences, walls, columns, parking lots, etc.). Fruit-bearing and thorny trees shall be placed a minimum of 10 feet away from parking lots, sidewalks and trails.
Regardless of the presence of warning signs, no trees shall be planted within landscape beds or tree lawns located between a sidewalk or curb closer than 55’ from the visibility triangle of an intersection unless authorized by the Parks & Recreation Director or designee.
No street trees, other than those species designated as ornamental/small trees in the Town of Erie Approved Tree List, shall be planted under or within 10 lateral feet of any overhead electrical, telephone or other utility wire or line, or over or within 5 lateral feet of any underground water, sewer, electrical, telephone or other utility wire, line or main.
All placement considerations listed above, as well as planting and cultural practices listed within this section also apply to trees planted within tree grates. Trees grate design must be approved by the TOE Parks & Recreation Director or designee.
All trees shall be centered within tree lawns unless approved otherwise by the Parks and Recreation Director.
All trees planted within the public right-of-way shall be 1.5 inch caliper or larger. Caliper measurement shall be taken 6 inches above the root flare if 4 inches or less and 12 inches above the root flare for larger tree sizes.
Ash Trees
There is a moratorium of planting any ash trees (Fraxinus spp.) on any Town-owned property due to the threat of Emerald Ash Borer.
The following are not acceptable as street trees:
- Any species of Ash tree
- Any Weeping and Pndulous trees
- Boxelder – Acer negundo
- Evergreens (Pines, Spruce, Fir, Arborviate, Juniper, etc.) - Pinus spp., Picea spp., Abies spp., Thuja spp., Juniperus spp.
- Multi-Stemmed or Clump Forms
- Poplars (Cottonwood, Aspen, Lombardy) - Populus spp.
- Russian Olive - Elaeagnus angustifolia
- Silver Maple - Acer saccharinum
- Thorn-bearing trees
- Tree-of-heaven – Ailanthus altissima
- Willow - Salix spp.
- Other tree species as directed at the discretion of the Town Forester
A Tree Work Permit is required to prune any tree or woody plant originating within the public right of way (area located between the curb and the sidewalk) of any street, sidewalk, or alley, or upon other Town-owned property.
Pruning permit exceptions:
- A Tree Work Permit is not required for pruning of branches less than four (4) inch in diameter at attachment to the stem.
- Tree Work Permits are not required to perform any work on trees located wholly on private properties.
It is recommended that you hire a certified arborist to perform tree pruning operations.
All pruning work must meet the Town of Erie Standards and Specifications. Pruning done without a permit or pruning that does not meet the standards may be treated as a code violation and be subject to penalties set forth in the Town of Erie Municipal Code.
Tree Topping
Topping consists of removing major branches of a tree to reduce its overall tree size. Topping is often also referred to as "heading", "tipping", "hat-racking", and "rounding over".
Tree topping is prohibited on any tree located within the public right-of-way and on any Town-owned property.
A Tree Work Permit is required to remove any tree or woody plant originating within the public right of way (area located between the curb and the sidewalk) of any street, sidewalk, or alley, or upon other Town-owned property, except for sucker shoots or self-sown trees that are less than one inch in diameter.
Tree Work Permits are not required to perform any work on trees located wholly on private properties.
Tree care work, in general, is hazardous, but tree removal is especially dangerous. Successfully felling or removing a tree requires knowledge of tree physics, biology, dangerous tools, advanced cutting techniques, and more. Homeowners who attempt their own tree removal may be injured by falling limbs, malfunctioning equipment, or the tree itself. Contact a professional arborist to determine the best way to safely remove your tree.
All tree stumps located within the public right-of-way shall be removed below the surface of the ground so that the top of the stump shall not project above the surface of the ground. Utility locates shall be conducted prior to grinding.
A Tree Work Permit is required to treat any tree or woody plant originating within the public right of way (area located between the curb and the sidewalk) of any street, sidewalk, or alley, or upon other Town-owned property.
Tree Work Permits are required for all treatment methods including foliar, trunk, and root applications that target insects and diseases.
Tree Work Permits are not required to perform any work on trees located wholly on private properties.
Any contractor that engages in the business of applying pesticides within the Town shall carry a current Pesticide Applicators License issued by the State of Colorado, in addition to possessing Arborist License, regardless of whether the treatments are applied on Town-owned or private property.