Denver street trees need a permit before work

The tree between the sidewalk and the curb may stand on what feels like your property, but in Denver it is not yours to cut, plant, or even tack a sign onto on your own say-so. The city treats it as a public asset, watched over by the Office of the City Forester.

A permit comes before far more than removal. You need one to take a tree down, but also to plant a new one, to inject a tree with treatment, or to attach anything to a public or protected tree. The forester reviews and issues each of those permits, and a string of lights or a yard-sale sign nailed to the trunk counts as attaching material just as much as a chainsaw counts as removal.

This is the kind of rule that surfaces in the middle of an unrelated project. A fence line, a new driveway, a sewer dig, a roof crew, a landscape redesign — any of them can put a street tree in the way, and a contractor focused on the job may see an obstacle where the city sees a protected right-of-way tree.

So before anyone cuts, plants, treats, or fastens something to a street tree, the permit question goes to Denver’s forestry office. When a licensed contractor is doing the work, settle plainly who is pulling the permit, and keep a copy with the project file so it is easy to produce if anyone asks.