Refuse and recycling carts at the curb
Streets & Urban Forestry

  1. Closed for Memorial Day (Monday, 5/25/26)

    No trash, recycling, large item, or brush pickup on Monday, 5/25, Memorial Day. Drop-off sites & offices closed, too.

    Check your collection calendar for your holiday trash & recycling schedule.

    Drop-off sites & offices re-open on 5/26.

  2. Recycling Survey

    Help us help you recycle better by taking our recycling survey.

    And, maybe test your recycling knowledge with our brief recycling quiz.

Reporting Tree Concerns

  • Routine Issues for Public Trees (Pruning requests, tree inspections, etc.)

    Choose the "Tree Concern" option on the City of Madison report-a-problem page for routine issues of public trees.

    These include pruning requests, tree inspection concerns, fallen limbs, and similar issues. 

    Report-a-problems are reviewed and addressed during normal business hours (7am to 3pm)

  • Tree Emergencies (Fallen tree blocking the road, etc.)

    Call 911 for tree emergencies.

    • Do not send an email for an emergency.  
    • Do not send a report-a-problem for an emergency. 

    Call 911 for emergencies, or call the Dane County Dispatch directly at 608-255-2345.

    Dispatch operators will be able to reach on-call arborists to respond to emergency situations at any time.

  • Trees vs. Wires

    Contact MGE for trees on or worrying electrical wires.

    Trimming trees for electrical wires is dangerous. MGE must be involved to make the area safe.

    • What if it's not electrical wires and you're worried about the tree close to these other wires?
      • Contract your phone, cable, and/or internet provider if it is near your communications wires. 

  • Private Property Tree Concerns

    Property owners are responsible for trees on their property.

    We recommend you contact a certified arborist for private tree concerns. Visit the Wisconsin Arborist Association to search for one.

    If you are concerned about a tree in your neighbor's yard, or if a tree on private property is causing an issue that the owner has not fixed, you can contact Building Inspection. Building Inspection is the agency that performs code enforcement work for the City of Madison. You can also fill out a Housing/Property Concern report-a-problem to start the process. 

  • Request a New Tree

    If you would like a tree planted in the public space in front of your home, contact Urban Forestry and we will evaluate the space for a new tree. 

Terrace Trees are City Trees

If you reported a concern, crews will respond. 

You do not need to hire someone to take care of the tree on the terrace.

Your patience is appreciated.

Urban Forestry employs about 30 arborists total when fully staffed. During severe storms, we can get hundreds of calls for service. It just takes time to get to everyone, but we will be there.

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