Lake County's largest city, on Lake Erie's south shore

Tree Service in Mentor, OH

Seven feet over the sidewalk, fourteen over the road, and permits for the tree lawn.

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Mentor Puts More on the Homeowner

Tree Service in Mentor comes with rules that many homeowners do not know about. Mentor counts public trees in the right-of-way (the tree lawn), parks and other public land as its urban forest, but the city's street tree program says that after a tree is planted, its care and maintenance are the responsibility of the property owner. Owners are expected to keep branches at least 7 feet above sidewalks and 14 feet above public roads, and to remove dead branches hanging over a sidewalk or roadway or blocking street signs. Planting or removing a tree in the right-of-way requires a permit from the Public Works Director.

What that means in practice

In Mentor, a tree lawn tree that needs clearance pruning is often something the owner arranges. We prune to those clearance heights, cutting back to proper branch unions so the tree does not respond with a mess of sprouts. If the tree in front of your house needs to come out, apply for the city's tree removal permit first. Public Works is at (440) 974-5780, and the city's Tree Commission, four members appointed by City Council, meets on the second Wednesday of each month.

Mentor also gives residents free trees for the tree lawn each year on a first-come, first-served basis, planted by city personnel. Its care guidelines are sensible: water daily for a week, then weekly for a month; spread 3 inches of mulch each year, kept off the trunk flare; and leave the deer guard on for three years.

Yard waste, by the numbers

Mentor's yard waste program runs from the first full week of April through the second full week of December. Branches have to be no more than 3 inches across, cut into 4-foot lengths and tied in bundles, each unit under 35 pounds, with 12 units a week allowed most of the season and 25 a week from late October. That is generous for small pruning but nowhere near enough for a removal. On our jobs, brush and wood leave with us unless the estimate says otherwise.

Lake and marsh country

Mentor sits on Lake Erie's south shore, and Headlands Beach State Park is the longest public swimming beach in Ohio. Mentor Marsh Nature Preserve lies beside Morton Community Park. Trees in the northern parts of the city take lake wind straight on and near the marsh grow in wetter ground than those inland. Wet ground favors shallow roots and lopsided crowns, which matter when we judge whether a tree is stable.

Growth and housing

Settled in 1797 by Connecticut Land Company surveyors at the Headlands, Mentor had 416 residents in 1870 and 36,912 a century later. The automobile brought postwar families, and by 2020 the city had 47,450 people in 21,074 housing units, making it the most populous city in Lake County. Many neighborhoods date from the 1950s through the 1990s, so yard trees range from big maples and oaks to overgrown spruce and splitting ornamental pears.

Call (216) 294-3085 or send the form. Let us know if the tree is in the tree lawn so we can talk about the permit. Get a free estimate

Mentor Tree Rules

Right-of-way permit. A permit from Mentor's Public Works Director is required to plant or remove a tree in the public right-of-way, and the city provides a Tree Removal Permit form.
Owner maintains clearance. Property owners must keep branches 7 feet above sidewalks and 14 feet above public roads and remove dead branches over sidewalks, roads or street signs.
Free street trees. Mentor offers residents free trees each year, first come first served, planted in the right-of-way by city staff; the owner then cares for the tree and leaves the deer guard on for three years.
Brush limits. Yard waste runs from the first full week of April to the second full week of December; branches must be 3 inches or less in diameter, cut to 4 feet, bundled, and under 35 pounds per unit.
Lakeshore. Mentor is Lake County's most populous city, with 47,450 residents in 2020, and is home to Headlands Beach State Park, the longest public swimming beach in Ohio.

Our Services in Mentor, OH

Mentor Questions

Do I need a permit to take down the tree in my tree lawn?

Yes. Mentor requires a permit from the Public Works Director to plant or remove a tree in the right-of-way. Get the permit before scheduling the removal.

Who prunes the tree lawn tree in front of my house?

In Mentor, care of a right-of-way tree falls to the property owner after planting, including keeping 7 feet of clearance over the sidewalk and 14 feet over the street. We can do that pruning for you.

Will the city take the branches from my tree removal?

Only within the yard waste limits: 4-foot bundles of branches up to 3 inches thick, under 35 pounds each, 12 or 25 units a week depending on the season. Removals produce far more, so we haul it.

Are trees near the lake more likely to blow over?

They face more wind, and near the marsh they often grow in wetter soil, which can mean shallower roots. That does not make them unsafe, but it is worth having large lakeside trees checked.

Free Estimates in Mentor, OH

Free estimates across Mentor, from the lakeshore to Route 20.

Call (216) 294-3085 Free Estimate