For a tree growing on your own private property in Lansing, you generally do not need a permit to remove it. That is the short answer, and it covers the overwhelming majority of calls we get.
The complications start when the tree is not actually yours, and a surprising number of the trees homeowners assume they own are not. Here is how ownership works in Lansing, what the city controls, and what happens if you cut the wrong tree.
The tree between your sidewalk and the street is probably not yours
That strip of grass between the sidewalk and the curb has several names. Right-of-way, tree lawn, boulevard strip, terrace, parkway. Whatever you call it, in most Lansing neighborhoods it is public right-of-way, and the trees planted in it are city trees.
You mow it. You may shovel it. You do not own the trees in it, and you cannot remove or heavily prune one without the city's involvement. This catches people every year, usually when a homeowner hires a crew to take out a street tree that is lifting their sidewalk and finds out afterward that it was a municipal asset.
The practical test: if the tree sits between the sidewalk and the curb, assume it is the city's until you confirm otherwise. If it sits behind the sidewalk on the house side, it is almost certainly yours. When the sidewalk is missing entirely, which is common on parts of the Southside and in the townships, the right-of-way line is not obvious from the ground and you need to check.
Who controls which tree
| Tree Location | Responsibility | Permit Needed? |
|---|---|---|
| Private yard, behind the sidewalk | Property owner | Generally no |
| Right-of-way, between sidewalk and curb | City of Lansing | Yes, city handles it |
| City park or public land | City of Lansing | Do not touch |
| Touching a primary power line | Utility (BWL or Consumers Energy) | Call the utility |
| On or across a property line | Shared between both owners | Written consent from both |
| Near a wetland or watercourse | Owner, with state and county oversight | Possibly, verify first |
The boundary tree rule most people get wrong
A tree whose trunk straddles a property line belongs to both owners in Michigan. Not the person whose side the roots are on, and not the person who planted it. Both.
Neither owner can remove a boundary tree without the other's agreement, and removing one unilaterally exposes you to real liability. Michigan has a statute allowing recovery of multiple damages for wrongfully cutting another person's timber, which turns a $1,200 removal into a substantially larger problem.
You may generally trim branches that cross onto your side, cutting back to the property line, without permission. You may not enter their property to do it, and you may not prune so aggressively that the tree dies. If a shared tree needs to come out, get the agreement in writing first. Every time.
Outside Lansing city limits, the rules change
Our service area covers a patchwork of jurisdictions, and they do not treat trees the same way. East Lansing and Meridian Township maintain notably stronger woodland and landmark tree protections than the City of Lansing does, particularly around development and larger-diameter specimens. Delhi, Delta, and DeWitt Townships each have their own zoning language.
Three situations trigger review almost everywhere in the area regardless of the local tree ordinance:
Clearing an acre or more, or working within 500 feet of a lake or stream. That generally requires a soil erosion and sedimentation control permit, administered locally by Ingham or Eaton County.
Anything in or near a regulated wetland. That falls under EGLE at the state level. If part of the parcel holds water into late spring, get it checked before clearing rather than after.
Removal tied to new construction or a site plan. Many local ordinances attach tree preservation and replacement requirements to development approval even where a homeowner removing a single tree needs nothing.
Call MISS DIG before the stump comes out
This one is not optional and it is not a tree ordinance. Michigan law requires notifying MISS DIG 811 at least three working days before excavation, and stump grinding counts as excavation. The call is free.
It matters more than people expect on older Lansing lots, where gas and water services were installed decades ago and often sit shallower than current code would allow. Hitting a gas line while grinding a stump is an expensive and dangerous way to learn this.
What happens if you remove a city tree
Nothing good. Municipalities value street trees using established appraisal methods that account for species, size, condition, and location, and a mature street tree can appraise well into the thousands. You can be billed for that value, on top of any fine, on top of what you already paid the crew that cut it.
The contractor is not automatically your shield here either. A reputable company will ask who owns the tree before quoting. If a crew is willing to take down a street tree without that conversation, that tells you something about the rest of their operation.
How to verify before you cut
Check your plat or survey. Your mortgage paperwork usually includes one, and it shows where your lot line actually sits relative to the sidewalk.
Call the city before you schedule. The City of Lansing's forestry operation sits within the Public Service Department, and confirming ownership on a specific address takes one phone call. Current contact details are on lansingmi.gov. If you are outside city limits, call your township office instead.
Ask your contractor. We check this as part of the estimate. If a tree is in the right-of-way we will tell you before quoting, and we will tell you what your options are rather than taking the job.
Ordinances change and every parcel has its own quirks. Treat this as a working map rather than legal advice, and confirm with the city or your township before removal.