Edgewood residents should obtain a project-specific answer before removing a tree because the City’s public instructions do not line up perfectly. The detailed tree-removal page says a permit is not always required, while the Code Compliance page gives a broad yes in its tree-permit guidance. This draft does not choose one statement over the other.
Build the question the City can answer
Start a record with the property address, owner, applicant, and the proposed work date. Add one marked site image that shows the tree’s location relative to structures and property lines. Then retain:
- wide and close photographs of the tree;
- species and dimensions if known;
- the specific reason for removal;
- any condition or risk assessment;
- an arborist report when the City requests or the condition claim depends on one; and
- the exact City webpage versions consulted.
Send the City a narrow written question: whether this tree, at this address, for this stated reason, requires a permit or another filing. Save the reply with the submitted materials. A phone call can help route the question, but a dated written response makes the later record understandable.
Preserve the decision, not just the outcome
If an application is required, keep its receipt, payment record, inspections, approval or denial, and every replacement or closeout condition. If the City confirms no permit is required, keep that answer beside the photographs and proposed scope. Do not turn a site-specific answer into a rule for another property.
The conflict itself belongs in the file until the City reconciles its pages. That approach gives an owner, reviewer, or future purchaser a traceable basis for what was done without claiming that a general FAQ overrules the detailed permit process—or vice versa.