Zoning Ordinance, Section 16

§ 16.06 Preservation Of Existing Trees

The text in force on February 21, 2017, and every version since 2010.

Unofficial compilation built from the City's published 2010 Code chapters and the text of adopted ordinances. Effective dates are inferred from adoption records; scanned chapters were OCR'd. The City of Tiffin's adopted Code of Ordinances governs. Not legal advice.

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16.06 PRESERVATION OF EXISTING TREES

Existing trees may be used to comply with the requirements of subsections 16.07, " Street

Tree Requirements", and 16.08, " Tree Requirements for Residential Uses", of this section.

Existing trees used to satisfy these requirements must be in good health prior to and following site development. The City Designee is authorized to approve substitutions based on determination of health and survivability. Table 16-2, " Schedule of Substitution Values", of this section, will be used to determine the ratio of substitution. The following provisions must also be observed:

A. The same minimum separation distances that are required of new plantings must be observed when possible; except, that extant groupings of two(2) or more trees may be preserved upon approval by the City Designee, who will also determine if trees or branches must be removed from such groupings in the interest of public safety and/ or to assure survival of the specimen.

B. The building official will determine if a preserved tree will be a substitute for a street tree or a residential use tree, depending on its location on a lot.

C. The roots of a tree must be protected during site development with barrier fencing extending out at least as far as the drip line of the tree, or as far as the City Designee

DocuSign Envelope ID: 957DE829-DFC1-4451-BAE6-1D55916D910E deems necessary to minimize damage. Any limbs that might be damaged during construction must be pruned according to the direction of the City Designee.

D. No paving or construction will be allowed within the drip line of a preserved tree.

E. Any preserved tree that dies within five (5) years of the issuance of a certificate of occupancy must be replaced by the same number of trees for which it substituted.

Table 16-2: Schedule of Substitution Values

Diameter Of Existing Tree Substitution Value

Measured 4 Feet Above Ground Level)

36 inches or more 3 required trees

12 to 35 inches 2 required trees

2 to 12 inches 1 required tree

Note:

I. The substitution value of groupings of 1 or more trees, provided their preservation as a group is approved by the City Designee, will be based on the caliper measure of the largest tree of the group.

Ord. 2017-394, adopted February 21, 2017; in effect on publication (publication date not recorded) · source page

In the 2026 draft recodification (not adopted) this is § 168.05.

History

FromToSourceHowDocument
Feb 21, 2017today Ord. 2017-394 section added · text p. 1

Dates: an Iowa ordinance takes effect when it is published after adoption. Where the clerk's certificate records the publication date it is used; otherwise the adoption date stands in for it. "Not yet consolidated" means the ordinance amends this section but its new text has not been checked into this compilation yet: read the ordinance.

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Data last updated October 15, 2026. Built from the archive's documents; see how the data is built.