In most Front Range cities, you do not need a permit to remove a tree growing on your own private property. The exceptions are what catch homeowners: street trees in the public right-of-way almost always require city forester approval — including in Denver — and HOAs, fire districts, and landmark designations can add rules of their own.
Alpenglow Tree Care is a licensed and insured tree service based in Broomfield, Colorado, working across Denver, the Northern Metro, the Front Range foothills, and the High Country including Summit County. Because we cross a dozen-plus jurisdictions in a normal week, permit questions come up constantly — and we flag them during every free estimate before a saw ever starts.
Do You Need a Permit to Remove a Tree on Your Own Property?
Alpenglow Tree Care gets this question on nearly every tree removal estimate, and for most Front Range homeowners the answer is reassuring: if the tree stands entirely on your private property — back yard, side yard, or the portion of the front yard you actually own — most cities in the Denver metro do not require a permit to remove it. The tree is yours, and the decision is yours.
Notice the qualifiers, though. "Most cities" is not "all cities," and "your property" is narrower than many people assume. The strip of grass between the sidewalk and the curb usually is not yours in the way your back yard is, even though you mow it. That distinction is where nearly every permit problem starts, so it gets its own section below.
If the tree is dead, hazardous, or visibly failing, the private-property answer rarely changes — but it is still worth reading the warning signs a tree needs removal so you can describe the problem accurately when you call your city or a tree service.
Who Owns the Tree Between the Sidewalk and the Curb?
Alpenglow Tree Care treats every tree in that sidewalk-to-curb strip as a regulated tree until the city says otherwise, and you should too. That strip — often called the tree lawn, parkway, or amenity zone — sits in the public right-of-way in most Front Range cities. The trees growing in it are street trees, and they are typically city-owned or city-regulated even when the adjacent homeowner is expected to water and maintain them.
Denver is the clearest example: street trees there fall under the city forester's authority, and removing or performing major work on one without approval can create real liability for the homeowner and the contractor alike. Boulder, Broomfield, Westminster, Arvada, and most of their neighbors take a similar posture — the details differ city to city, but "get forester approval first" holds almost everywhere.
The confusing part is that responsibility and ownership are split. In many cities you are responsible for keeping the street tree in front of your house alive and clear of the sidewalk, yet you still cannot remove it on your own authority. When a street tree needs to come down, the process usually runs through the city: the forester inspects it, approves or denies removal, and in some cities handles the work or requires a licensed contractor to do it.
A reputable tree service will spot this during the estimate. When our crew sees a tree standing in the strip, growing over the sidewalk line, or otherwise looking like right-of-way territory, we say so on the spot and point you to the city forestry office before anything gets scheduled.
Can Your HOA Block a Tree Removal the City Allows?
Alpenglow Tree Care works in plenty of covenant-controlled neighborhoods across the Northern Metro, and the short answer is yes — HOA rules operate on a completely separate track from city rules. Your city may have zero interest in a back-yard spruce, while your HOA's design guidelines require landscape committee approval before any tree over a certain size comes down, or mandate replacement planting afterward.
Before scheduling a removal in an HOA community, pull out your CC&Rs and design guidelines, or simply email the management company and ask whether tree removal requires approval. Get the answer in writing. Skipping this step can mean fines, forced replanting, or a dispute that costs far more than the removal itself — and none of it is the tree service's call to make.
What About Mountain Towns and Fire Districts?
Alpenglow Tree Care also works in the foothills and the High Country, including Summit County and Breckenridge, where the permit conversation flips in an interesting way. In wildfire country, the question is often less "may I remove this tree?" and more "which trees should come out?" Many mountain communities and fire protection districts actively encourage defensible-space thinning around structures, and some have their own review processes, town-code requirements for tree cutting, or forestry staff who will walk your lot with you.
Because these communities vary more than metro cities do, the check-first rule matters even more up high. A quick call to the town office or the local fire district tells you whether your defensible-space project needs sign-off, qualifies for a community chipping program, or should be coordinated with neighbors. Our fire mitigation crews handle this coordination routinely, and for larger thinning projects our lot clearing service covers the full scope from marking through haul-off.
Are Any Trees Specially Protected?
Alpenglow Tree Care occasionally runs into a third layer of rules beyond city right-of-way and HOA covenants: protected trees. Some Front Range cities maintain extra protections for landmark or heritage trees — typically notable specimens the city has formally designated — and for trees on properties with historic or landmark status. On a landmarked property, exterior changes including significant tree removal can require review even when the tree is entirely private.
These cases are the minority, but they are exactly the kind of thing you want to discover before the crew shows up rather than after. If your home is in a historic district, or a tree on your property is unusually large, old, or locally famous, mention it when you call the city forestry office — one extra sentence in that conversation can save a genuine headache.
How Do You Actually Check Before You Cut?
Alpenglow Tree Care recommends the same three-step check regardless of which city you live in, and the whole thing rarely takes more than a day:
- Call or email your city's forestry office. Every Front Range city has one — usually under Parks, Forestry, or Public Works on the city website. Describe the tree's exact location, especially whether it sits between the sidewalk and the curb. Ask directly: "Do I need approval to remove this tree?"
- Check your HOA documents. If you live in a covenant-controlled community, read the landscape section of your design guidelines or ask the management company in writing. City clearance does not waive HOA rules.
- Ask your tree service during the estimate. An experienced estimator will identify right-of-way trees, likely street-tree situations, and defensible-space considerations on sight — and should raise them without being asked.
That third step is a useful filter for choosing a contractor. A crew that shrugs at a tree standing in the public strip is telling you how carefully they will handle the rest of the job. And once the authorization question is settled, the remaining decisions are practical ones — access, equipment, and price — which we break down in our guide to what tree removal costs in Colorado.
Common Questions About Tree Removal Permits
Do I need a permit to remove a tree on my own property in Colorado?
In most Front Range cities, no — removing a tree on your own private property usually does not require a city permit. The common exceptions are street trees in the public right-of-way, trees covered by HOA covenants, and trees on landmarked or otherwise protected properties in some cities. A quick call to your city forestry office confirms your situation before any cutting starts.
Who is responsible for the tree between the sidewalk and the curb?
That strip is public right-of-way in most Front Range cities, and the trees growing in it are city-owned or city-regulated street trees — including in Denver. In many cities the adjacent homeowner is still responsible for maintaining the tree, but removal or major work almost always requires approval from the city forester first. Never remove a street tree without checking.
Can my HOA stop me from removing a tree even if the city allows it?
Yes. HOA covenants operate independently of city rules, and many Front Range HOAs require architectural or landscape committee approval before a tree comes down — even a tree the city has no interest in. Check your CC&Rs and design guidelines, or email your management company, before scheduling removal. Violating covenants can mean fines or forced replanting.
Who handles the permit question — me or the tree service?
The property owner is ultimately responsible for authorization, but a reputable tree service flags the issue for you. During an estimate, an experienced crew will recognize when a tree sits in the public right-of-way or looks like a regulated street tree and will tell you to get city forester approval before work is scheduled. If an estimator never mentions it on a tree by the curb, that is a red flag.
Last Updated: August 2026
