Do you need a permit for tree work in Columbus?
For a tree in a Columbus street, park or other public space the answer is yes: city code requires a Forestry permit before removal, pruning, stump grinding, herbicide application or excavation near the tree, and the work has to be approved for execution by a certified arborist. The permit is free, the tree care company's certified arborist is the one who applies for it, and a City arborist inspects the tree or site first. For a tree standing entirely on private property, Chapter 912 is not the code that governs it, and this directory has not surveyed the zoning, subdivision, historic-district or overlay provisions that could still apply, so check with 311 or the Forestry section before you cut.
What counts as a public tree
The City's Tree Technical Manual puts it this way: all trees planted on the public right-of-way, in parks or on other City-owned property are under the jurisdiction of the Department as property of the City of Columbus and are protected by Columbus City Code Chapter 912. The same manual says expressly that it does not apply to City-owned utility easements on private property.
The line between a public tree and a private one is not always where a homeowner assumes it is. OSU Extension advises that trees planted between the sidewalk and the street may be in the public right-of-way managed by a local municipal authority, and that the right move is to consult the municipality's public works or urban forestry department for clarification. In Columbus that is the Forestry section, and asking costs nothing.
Chapter 912 was repealed and replaced in its entirety in December 2023. Anything you read that quotes the older chapter, including free code libraries that still serve the 1991 text, is describing a permit structure that no longer exists.
What the permit covers
The replacement text of section 912.05(A) is broad on purpose. No person shall plant, set out, or engage in the maintenance of any tree or shrub by removal, stump grinding, application of herbicide or other chemicals, fertilizing, bracing, cabling, pruning, surgery work, cutting above or below the ground, or cutting of roots in a public street, park, or public space without first obtaining a permit issued by the department.
Section 912.05(B) extends the same duty to digging near the tree: no person shall excavate any ditch, tunnel or trench, or lay any drive within a minimum radius of ten feet or within the tree protection zone, whichever is greater. So a driveway apron, a fence line or a utility trench can pull a job into the permit process even when nobody intended to touch the tree.
The Tree Technical Manual states the rule without the exceptions people hope for: regardless of mitigation requirements, a permit is always required to impact a public tree.
Who applies, and what it costs
The City's urban forestry page is direct about who does the paperwork. Forestry permits are required for any project that will work on a public tree or within its critical root zone, the tree care company's certified arborist should submit the application, and there is no fee to apply. If you want to plant, prune, treat or remove a street tree, you hire a certified arborist who then requests the permit, and a City arborist inspects the tree or site first.
Certified arborist here has a specific meaning. Section 912.05(C)(2) requires that any and all work to maintain, plant, or remove a public tree shall be approved for execution by certified arborists or by people working under the supervision of a certified arborist, and the chapter defines a certified arborist as an individual trained in the art and science of planting, caring for, and maintaining trees that has been certified by the International Society of Arboriculture. That is a private credential the City adopts as its standard, not a license the City or the State issues.
Plant health care on a public tree adds a second requirement. The manual states that any plant health care such as treatment of a disease or pest, or application of fertilizer, must be approved by Forestry and applied by a certified arborist with a pesticide applicator's license.
Mitigation when a public tree is removed
Removing a public tree triggers mitigation, and where the mitigation is paid rather than planted the manual sets the rate: a fee of $260 per removed inch shall be assessed, a figure the manual says will be reviewed periodically against planting costs and appraisal values. The City's urban forestry master plan site describes this as an increase over the previous rate.
That figure applies to public trees. It is not a price for tree work, and nothing in this guide is a quote for removing a tree in your own yard.
What happens if the permit is skipped
The current chapter carries a criminal penalty rather than a schedule of fees. Section 912.99 provides that whoever violates any provision of the chapter shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor of the third degree, and that any such violation shall constitute a separate offense on each day the violation exists.
Older summaries of Columbus tree rules circulate specific dollar and jail figures. Those come from the superseded 1991 chapter and are not in the current text, so do not plan around them.
A tree entirely on private property
The honest answer is narrower than the one most pages give. Chapter 912 governs trees in public streets, parks and public places, and its private nuisance tree provision imposes an abatement duty rather than a removal permit. That is not the same as saying no approval is ever needed on private land.
Zoning, subdivision, historic-district and overlay provisions were not surveyed for this directory, and any of them can attach conditions to what happens on a private lot. Before a private tree comes down, call 311 or the Forestry section and ask whether anything applies to your address. Neighboring municipalities set their own rules. The Dublin tree preservation ordinance text published by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources requires a tree removal permit before removing a protected tree of six inches diameter at breast height or larger, and states that the subchapter applies on all public and private properties in all zoning districts, so the common claim that Dublin exempts private residential trees does not match that text. The copy reflects a 2005 amendment and whether Dublin's current codified text still reads the same way was not confirmed, so ask the city.
Who to contact
The 311 Customer Service Center takes reports of damage from fallen branches or trees from City property, by phone on 614-645-3111 or online. The Forestry section is reachable on 614-645-6640 and at Forestry@columbus.gov, and its published business hours are Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Sources for this guide: the City-published Chapter 912 replacement text at https://www.columbusufmp.org/uploads/2/6/0/6/26062495/chapter_912_revision_final.pdf, the Columbus Tree Technical Manual at https://columbusrecparks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ColumbusTreeTechnicalManual-May2024.pdf, the City's urban forestry page at https://columbusrecparks.com/nature/urban-forestry/, the code update note at https://www.columbusufmp.org/public-tree-code-updates.html, and OSU Extension factsheet HYG-1032 at https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-1032.
Browse the directory of tree care companies. Each listing shows its verification status and the date it was last checked, so you can see how current the information is before you reach out.