Do you need a permit?
It depends on the tree
If your tree is entirely on your own lot and outside the public right-of-way, Allentown does not require a permit to remove it, and the city says so in writing. The shade tree ordinance only reaches trees in public lands and the right-of-way, and a right-of-way tree needs a $10-per-tree street tree permit and an ISA-certified, city-licensed contractor. But since October 2025 the rewritten zoning ordinance also protects "significant trees" of 13 inches DBH on four kinds of parcels, one of which is any site abutting a named waterway. If your property fronts the Lehigh River, Jordan Creek, Cedar Creek, Trout Creek or the Little Lehigh, or is a heavily wooded lot in the N5 zone, call Zoning at 610-437-7630 before you cut.
Size threshold
No size threshold at all applies to a street tree — section 597-3A covers "any shade tree in public lands or a public right-of-way" regardless of size. On private property, section 660-73D(1) defines the trigger: "A 'significant tree' is one of the following: (a) Any tree with a diameter at breast height of 13 inches or more. (b) A historic tree, champion tree, or remembrance tree ... based upon the tree's age, species, health, meaning within the community, and/or historical importance." Section 660-73C: "Existing trees must be measured at the diameter of trunk, at breast height, 4.5 feet above grade at the base of the tree."
What's protected in Allentown
- Any tree, shrub or woody vegetation in the public right-of-way or on public land. Chapter 597 defines SHADE TREE as "Any trees, shrubs, and woody vegetation in a public right-of-way."
- Significant trees, 13 inches DBH or more, but only on the four parcel types listed in section 660-73A(1): master plan development sites; heavily wooded N5 zone sites; "Sites abutting any named waterway"; and sites over one acre zoned IX, IG or IM.
- Historic trees, champion trees and remembrance trees. Section 597-5A(6)(b): "Only upon exhausting all remedial arboriculture practices under ISA ANSI A300 or the equivalent best design practices will a removal permit be issued."
- Heavily wooded N5 lots. Section 660-73G(1) applies "Where at least 50% of the total area of an existing lot is covered by woods primarily involving trees at least eight inches in diameter."
- Large-scale cutting anywhere. Section 660-73G(4): where 20 or more trees over six inches in diameter are removed and it is not connected to an approved development, a forestry management plan is required for two or more acres, "Clear-cutting is prohibited," and "At least 50% of the forest cover shall be maintained."
How to apply in Allentown
- 1
For a street or right-of-way tree, either the legal title property owner or the contractor under contract with them may apply. For a full removal, only an ISA-approved tree contractor can hold the permit — a property owner can obtain a permit for stump removal or planting only.
- 2
Complete the application legibly, with the required sketch, the arborist company name, its ISA certification ID, and a PA One Call number (1-800-242-1776 or 811).
- 3
If the removal is because of sidewalk damage or heaving, you must first get an Engineering Work Order permit number from the Bureau of Engineering and put it on the application.
- 4
Submit the signed application to the Department of Public Works, 641 S 10th Street, Allentown, PA 18103. "Incomplete, illegible, or unsigned applications will not be processed."
- 5
Allow a minimum of 10 working days for inspection. Section 597-3C(1) requires the permit to be secured "not less than five days in advance of the time the work is to be done."
- 6
Post a copy of the permit near the front entrance of the property so that it is visible from the public right-of-way. Both owner and contractor must have a copy before work starts.
- 7
Tree permits expire 60 days from issue, and all work including grinding the stump, removing chips and filling the hole with topsoil must be finished within that window.
- 8
Call the Bureau of Engineering within 10 days of completion so an inspection can be scheduled.
- 9
For a significant tree under section 660-73, a survey of existing significant trees prepared by a licensed arborist or qualified professional must be submitted, and "The burden of proof justifying the removal of a significant tree is on the applicant."
Fees, penalties, and the ordinance
- Fee
- Street Tree Permit: "Permit cost is $10 per tree." Tree surgeon license, section 270-60: "The annual license fee for tree surgeons shall be $50." Significant-tree violation, section 660-73E: "The fee must include a cost of three times per diameter inch of tree removed." Non-compliance with a Chapter 597 order carries "an administration fee of $300 plus $5 per day noncompliance penalty fee."
- Penalties
- Section 597-10: "Any person violating any provisions of this article shall be fined not more than $1,000 for each infraction, plus restitution in an amount at least equal to the appraised value of the tree involved, plus cost of cure as obtained from certified arborists," and each day of a continuing violation is a separate offense. Section 660-73E: "Any person who removes a significant tree without prior permission from the Zoning Officer or causes the death of a significant tree through other means as determined by the Zoning Officer must be subject to a fine ... The fee must include a cost of three times per diameter inch of tree removed." Where a right-of-way tree is removed in violation and cannot be measured, section 597-5A(6)(d)[4] assumes a diameter of 24 inches.
- Ordinance
- City of Allentown Code, Chapter 597 (Trees), Article I — Shade Trees, adopted 3-16-2016 by Ord. No. 15277 (formerly Article 911 of the 1962 Codified Ordinances); section 597-10 amended 12-1-2021 by Ord. No. 15767 and 4-3-2024 by Ord. No. 16002. Chapter 660 (Zoning) was adopted 10-15-2025 by Ord. No. 16166 and repealed the former Chapter 660 adopted 11-3-2010 by Ord. No. 14835; the private-property significant-tree rule at section 660-73 is in that brand-new ordinance. Chapter 350 (Land Development and Subdivision) became effective January 1, 2026. The Shade Tree Commission was created under 11 Pa.C.S.A. section 12416. Code current through 06-26-2026.
Worth knowing
- The city says it twice, in two separate documents. The Homeowner's Guide to Shade Trees: "You do not need a permit to complete any work on a private tree outside the public right of way. The City has no jurisdiction over disputes between neighbors related to private trees." And the 2026 ISA Certified Tree Service list: "The City of Allentown, Department of Public Works does not regulate the services of any of those listed for work performed on private property."
- How to tell whether your tree is in the right-of-way: "A typical city right-of-way includes the sidewalk, the parkway or tree lawn (the planting area between the curb and sidewalk), the curb, and the roadway." If unsure, call Public Works at 610-437-7574.
- Section 597-7A requires a city tree surgeon license for all right-of-way work, and the city publishes an annual ISA Certified Tree Service list. That list is the cheapest way to screen a contractor.
- A private tree overhanging the street can be forced down. Section 597-6A declares such a tree a public nuisance where it "endangers the life, health, safety or property of the public"; section 597-6C gives the owner up to 30 days before the city removes it "at the expense of the owner, plus penalties and an administrative cost of $300."
- Homeowners must prune their own street trees to a minimum height of 10 feet above the right-of-way and 16 feet above the street, under section 597-5B(1). Non-compliance can become a municipal lien.
- The named waterways that trigger section 660-73 are defined at section 660-154 as the Lehigh River, Lehigh Coal and Navigation Canal, Jordan Creek, Cedar Creek, Trout Creek, Little Lehigh Creek, Little Cedar Creek, Lake Muhlenberg and Joseph S. Daddona Lake.
- N5 is a residential zone — "primarily intended to maintain and enhance the physical form of neighborhoods with a wide range of house types" — so the heavily-wooded-lot rule can reach ordinary houses.
- Steep slopes do not trigger a tree permit by themselves. Section 660-80B is keyed to construction, subdivision or earth disturbance on lots over 6,000 square feet containing slopes of 25 percent or greater.
What we could not confirm
We would rather tell you what we don't know than guess. Call the office below to confirm these before you cut.
- — Whether the city reads section 660-73A(1)(c), "Sites abutting any named waterway," as reaching an ordinary homeowner cutting a single tree with no development proposed. The lead-in says "development sites or parcels," which suggests it can, but the neighbouring clause is phrased as "Development of heavily wooded sites." The ordinance does not resolve it. Call Zoning at 610-437-7630.
- — The term "named waterway" used in section 660-73A(1)(c) is not itself defined in the zoning ordinance; section 660-154 defines "WATERWAY, MAJOR" as a named list, which implies it, but the code does not say so.
- — What application form the city actually uses when a significant tree is removed with no other development. Section 660-114A does not list stand-alone tree removal among the triggers for a zoning permit, yet section 660-73B requires the tree survey to be filed "as part of the zoning permit."
- — The dollar amount of the significant-tree fine and the fee paid into the Tree Planting Fund. Sections 660-73E and 660-73F defer to "the City's fee schedule," and Chapter 270 has no Tree Planting Fund line item.
- — The Homeowner's Guide to Shade Trees carries no revision date, so we cannot tell whether it was written before or after the 10-15-2025 zoning ordinance. The Street Tree Permit Instructions are dated 3/28/2024 and definitely predate section 660-73.
- — The permit application says replacement trees are due "within 12 months of the issue date"; the permit instructions say 6 months. The city's two documents disagree and we are not picking one.
- — The city's 2026 ISA Certified Tree Service list attributes the shade tree ordinance to Ord. No. 14863 effective 1/1/11, while the codified chapter history attributes Chapter 597 Article I to Ord. No. 15277 adopted 3-16-2016. Both are city sources.
- — The Shade Tree Commission has no published staff contact, email, meeting schedule or member roster on the city website.
Sources
- City of Allentown Code, Chapter 597 — Trees (eCode360, current through 06-26-2026)
- City of Allentown Code, Chapter 660 Article 8 — Site Design, including section 660-73 Existing trees
- City of Allentown — Shade Tree Commission
- City of Allentown — Street Tree Permit Instructions, 3/28/2024 (PDF)
- City of Allentown — Homeowner's Guide to Shade Trees (PDF)
- City of Allentown — 2026 ISA Certified Tree Service list (PDF)
- City of Allentown — official phone listing