Under Edina's tree protection ordinance, the replacement trees you owe for a teardown, an addition or a new pool can include trees you never saw. A protected or heritage tree removed within one year before your permit application counts toward the replacement requirement the same way a tree you remove yourself does. And while no permit is involved, owners can generally take down trees on their own property freely.
Taken together, those two rules mean a stump in the backyard of an Edina listing can show up later in a buyer's permit file, escrow and planting plan. That is a cost of buying in Edina, and it belongs in your thinking before you write an offer, not after closing.
The year before your application counts
Edina's current rules come from Ordinance 2026-04. The City Council passed it on March 3, 2026, and it took effect on publication March 12. It requires a tree protection plan for any grading permit, demolition permit, subdivision that creates new lots, or building permit for a new principal or accessory structure. The ordinance spells out that accessory structures include a garage, deck or pool, and that additions are covered too.
The plan starts with a tree inventory, and that inventory goes beyond what's standing today. It must list the species and former locations of every tree removed from the property within one year before the application, along with the reason each one was removed.
At a council meeting, City Parks & Recreation Director Perry Vetter put the permit trigger plainly: "If you are not pulling a permit, you have the autonomy to remove trees on your property right now." City Attorney David Kendall said tying the ordinance to grading, demolition, building and subdivision applications "curtails a lot of the potential dangers of people just clear cutting trees and then not having to replace them." The one-year lookback is the tool that does that work. The clock runs from the date the permit application is submitted, and who owned the house when the trees came down doesn't change the count.
Picture a buyer who closes in spring and wants to file for a rear addition by summer. If the seller cleared the yard the previous fall to brighten up the listing photos, those removals fall inside the window.
What a missing tree costs on paper
The ordinance sorts trees into two tiers. A protected tree is a healthy, structurally sound deciduous tree at least 5 inches in diameter at breast height, or a conifer at least 15 feet tall. A heritage tree is a deciduous tree 30 inches in diameter or larger, or a conifer 30 feet or taller. Protected trees must be replaced with trees totaling at least 75% of the removed tree's diameter or height. Heritage trees must be replaced at 100%. There are minimum sizes, too: 3.5-inch caliper for a deciduous replacement of a protected tree and 4.5-inch caliper for a heritage replacement.
Before the city issues the permit, you have to post financial security, either as a cash escrow or a letter of credit. You can base the amount on 110% of a verified landscape supplier quote, or use the ordinance's per-unit formula: $300 per inch or foot for protected trees and $500 per inch or foot for heritage trees, figured against the replacement owed.
Here is how that plays out for two hypothetical deciduous trees under the per-inch option:
| Removed tree | Tier | Replacement owed | Security under the per-inch option |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20-inch maple | Protected | 15 inches of new trees, each at least 3.5-inch caliper | Up to $4,500 |
| 32-inch oak | Heritage | 32 inches of new trees, each at least 4.5-inch caliper | Up to $16,000 |
At the 4.5-inch minimum, those 32 inches for the oak mean eight new trees on the lot. Half the security can come back after the replacements are planted and site work is done, but only once you request a release, forestry staff inspect the site, and staff find you complied with the approved plan. If compliance is partial, that first release shrinks to match it. The rest comes back after an ISA certified arborist confirms, at least 12 months later, that the planted and preserved trees are viable. On a teardown, that last step can come more than a year after you move in.
Replacement trees have to go on your own lot unless forestry staff decide it can't keep them healthy. In that case you can plant within 300 feet, or elsewhere in Edina if no nearby owner wants the trees. To do that, you have to notify owners within 300 feet in writing and post a sign saying trees are available. On a tight lot where the new house fills most of the buildable area, that outreach becomes part of the project schedule.
Why the rules read the way they do in 2026
Ordinance 2026-04 replaced an older code that had been challenged in court. Housing First Minnesota, a trade group representing more than 900 builders, remodelers, subcontractors and suppliers, filed suit in Hennepin County District Court in August 2025. It argued the city had no statutory authority for its tree fees and said Edina had built up nearly $1 million in its tree escrow account over three years. The city told the Sun Current that it doesn't typically comment on active lawsuits.
The council repealed and replaced the ordinance on March 3, before a summary judgment hearing could take place. Housing First then withdrew its complaint. It said it still had concerns about parts of the ordinance and would keep watching how the city carries it out. No court ever ruled on the merits.
The council's votes followed the same debate. First reading passed 4-1 on Feb. 17. Council Member James Pierce voted no, saying that grouping remodeling projects with new construction "feels like it disadvantages others in the community." Council Member Julie Risser passed along a fairness concern she had heard from residents: owners who already have trees carry the burden, while owners of treeless lots don't have to do anything. Final adoption on March 3 was unanimous.
For a buyer, the details of what changed matter more than the politics. As the Sun Current reported, the rewrite made these changes:
- The rules now apply in every zoning district, not just certain residential zones.
- Up to 20% of replacement trees can be a different type, so conifers can count toward a deciduous requirement and the reverse.
- Off-site planting is now an option.
- On built lots, forestry staff can now waive mitigation for trees that are damaging foundations, sidewalks or driveways, based on findings from a certified professional or ISA certified arborist. They can also waive it for trees in certain easements identified by the City Engineer.
That last waiver can matter a lot. Say a seller took out a big tree because its roots were cracking the foundation, and a professional documented it. That record may be the difference between owing replacement inches and owing nothing for that tree.
The footprint you plan around may not be yours alone
The ordinance protects a circle around each tree called the critical root zone. Its radius is the tree's diameter multiplied by 1.5 feet, so a 10-inch tree gets a 15-foot radius and a 30-inch heritage tree gets 45 feet. Construction, equipment storage, stockpiled soil and grading are kept out of those zones unless there is no other option on the site and forestry staff approve a plan for the work.
The plan also has to cover root zones of trees on adjacent properties if your construction would disturb them. A neighbor's mature oak near the lot line can shape where your addition goes, where the excavator sits and where the dumpster can be parked. Protective fencing has to be inspected by forestry staff before site work begins, and it stays up until demolition and construction are finished.
For bigger projects, you'll need an ISA certified arborist to prepare the inventory. That applies to grading, demolition and building permits valued at $100,000 or more, and to new primary structures valued at $500,000 or more. Most rebuilds in Edina will clear that bar.
Where this fits in an Edina offer timeline
The market gives you some room to do this homework. Minneapolis Area REALTORS' August 2026 Edina report shows homes selling in a median of 46 days, with 3.1 months of supply. Sellers received 97.8% of original list price on average. That pace allows for a site visit focused on trees before you write an offer. The same report shows new listings down 20.7% from August 2025, so that room doesn't extend to waiting for a better lot to come along.
Before you write on a home you plan to change, run through these steps:
- Ask the seller in writing whether any trees have been removed in the past 12 months, which ones and why. Ask for any arborist or engineer findings that tie a removal to foundation, sidewalk or driveway damage.
- Compare old listing photos or aerial imagery with the yard you're standing in. Stumps, fresh sod and new planting beds are worth asking about.
- Note any large trees, on the lot and near the property lines, inside the footprint you have in mind, and roughly estimate their root zones with the 1.5-foot multiplier.
- Line up your timeline with the lookback. If you plan to file within a year of a known removal, budget for the replacement and the security.
- Call Edina's forestry and building inspections staff to confirm how they would treat your specific situation. This guide summarizes the ordinance, and it isn't legal advice.
Questions we hear about Edina's tree rules
Does any of this apply if I'm not building anything?
The ordinance is triggered by the listed permits and subdivision applications. Vetter told the council that owners who aren't pulling a permit can remove trees on their property. The lookback still applies if you file for a permit within a year of removing trees.
Are some species outside the protected category?
The ordinance defines a set of "removable" species: box elder, poplar, willow, silver maple, black locust, ash, mulberry, and any species on the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's noxious weed list. Confirm with forestry staff how the trees in your inventory are classified.
How do I get the escrow back?
Edina has a Tree Protection Escrow Refund Request form. It describes a first request at permit final and a second request 12 months after the certificate of occupancy.
What if I'm the seller?
The lookback means trees you remove before listing go with the property into the buyer's next permit application. Keeping records of why each tree came down, especially any professional findings about structural damage, gives a buyer clear answers during due diligence.
If you're thinking about an Edina home with plans for a bigger kitchen, a pool or a full rebuild, we can walk the lot with you, ask the seller the right tree questions before you write, and factor the replacement math into your offer. Reach out to Elizabeth McKevitt Perez to find the lifestyle you want, without being surprised by trees that came down before you arrived.
