I have a client looking to buy an adorable historic home in Lafayette. Between the sidewalk and the street, we spy a very large, old, beautiful tree about ten feet from the streetlight. The buyer asked if that tree is the homeowner’s responsibility. I had no answer for him!
I called the City Clerk and discovered that Lafayette has an official Urban Forester and Urban Forestry group under the Public Works umbrella. The Forester kindly returned my call and patiently answered all my questions about this City Tree situation.
The trees in the grassy area between the sidewalk and street in city neighborhoods belong to the city but it is the responsibility of the owners of the adjacent property to maintain them. The Utility company has a right to prune as needed to protect public utilities such as power lines, phone lines, etc. If the homeowner wants to prune the tree, they must obtain a permit from the city Engineer’s office. If the homeowner chooses to hire someone to do the work, that company must be licensed with the city. More details on pruning and guidelines for care of these trees can be found at the FAQ link, below.
If the tree is severely damaged or deemed hazardous in some way by the city Forester, the City will remove the tree at no cost to the homeowner.
Contact and FAQ for Lafayette Urban Forestry is on the city website:
https://www.lafayette.in.gov/2025/Urban-Forestry
https://www.lafayette.in.gov/2040/Frequently-Asked-Questions-FAQs
Here is the list of tree care companies licensed with the City of Lafayette:
Bellingers Professional Grounds
4902 ST RD 25 W
Lafayette, IN 47909
Browning Tree Service Corp.
PO BOX 2538
West Lafayette, IN 47996
Epic Tree Trimming & Removal Co.
3824 DIVISION RD
West Lafayette, IN4 7906
TNT Tree Service LLC
5884 AUBREY LN
Lafayette, IN 47905
The city of Lafayette uses Browning and TNT for all their contract work.
About the Author
Ronda Stocks is excited to serve people in the Lafayette area Real Estate Market, working in the Nexus Realty Group at Coldwell Banker Shook. A proud US Navy Veteran, she also brings critical skills from a long career in a Fortune 50 corporation, where she did Tier 3 Technical Support in Nationwide Data Networks, Reliability Analysis and Vendor Management. She has enjoyed a variety of volunteer opportunities in the local community for the past several years. She approaches Real Estate as a consultative endeavor, making a priority of understanding what customers desire and seeking to help them meet their goals in every transaction. In her free time, she likes to do workout classes at the gym, enjoy the local music scene, and spend time with family on their classic (a.k.a. old) sailboat on Lake Michigan. She is cheerfully married to Don, and honored to be Adam's Mom, on a mission to bring kindness and compassion to the world around her.
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