07/31/2026
Even as tree lovers, we recognize that absurd government overreach is trampling the rights of private property owners!
An Austin man is facing a nearly $9,000 fee for trimming tree branches in his own yard, despite the fact those trees are largely intact and still alive.
In August 2025, Michael Petrick purchased a home on a 0.28-acre lot in Austin, Texas, in preparation for the birth of his first child. The property contained three overgrown trees. One tree was splitting and posed a risk of falling on the house, while the other two had overgrown limbs extending over the road and into power lines, posing a serious safety hazard. To protect his family and the community, Mr. Petrick hired a tree-trimming company to remove the splitting tree and prune the overgrown ones.
The City of Austin subsequently sent a notice of violation, claiming that the two trimmed trees had been “over-pruned” and were thus classified as completely “removed” under the City’s local ordinance and demanding an after-the-fact removal permit. The trees remain standing and leafy-green.
As a condition for the after-the-fact permit, the City demanded that Mr. Petrick plant 44 caliper-inches of replacement trees—which equates to planting a minimum of fifteen 13-to-15-foot trees on his small lot—or pay an $8,800 “mitigation” fee to the City’s Urban Forest Replenishment Fund. This fee is calculated strictly by a preset formula based on tree species and trunk size, without any individualized assessment of harm or impact to the surrounding properties.
This is exactly the sort of thing that makes housing too expensive in Austin. It shouldn’t cost you thousands of dollars every time you engage in harmless yard maintenance. No wonder Austin’s cost of living is out of control.
