SB 1188-1194: Tree Removal

Senate Bill 1188 (S-1) would enact the “Vegetation Removal Preemption Act” to do the following:

• Prohibit a local unit of government from adopting, maintaining, or enforcing an ordinance, charter provision, or regulation, on or after the Act’s effective date, that restricted, or require mitigation for, trimming or removal of any vegetation other than a heritage tree, located on certain private property.
• Specify that an ordinance, charter provision, or regulation that did any of the above would be void.
• Specify that the Act would not prohibit a local unit of government from adopting or enforcing certain ordinances that complied with the Act, such as an ordinance that requires private property to be maintained in a healthy, neat, and orderly appearance.

Senate Bills 1189, 1190, 1191, 1192, 1193, and 1194 would amend the General Law Village Act, the Home Rule Village Act, the Charter Township Act, the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act,Chapter 16 of the Revised Statutes of 1846 (which governs townships), and the Home Rule City Act, respectively, to specify that each of those Acts would be subject to the Vegetation Removal Preemption Act proposed by Senate Bill 1188.