Tree Removal Permits in Beckley, WV

Verified against Beckley city sources · last checked 2026-08-07

Do you need a permit?

No permit required for most private trees

Beckley has no tree removal permit of any kind. The only tree permit in the code is a planting permit, and Section 12-13 limits it to city ground: it is unlawful to plant a tree or shrub "in any parkway, street, alley or other property owned or held by the city" without written consent of council. Nothing requires you to ask before taking a tree down on your own lot, at any size. The rule that does bind you runs the other way - Section 12-14 makes every owner of a lot abutting a street "cut away and remove all trees, parts of trees and limbs which are dead or which because of decay or other causes, threaten the safety of persons using the streets and sidewalks."

Size threshold

None. Beckley's code sets no diameter, caliper, height or circumference figure for trees anywhere. The only tree measurements in the whole code are clearance heights in Section 12-14(b)(2) - "no part thereof shall be lower than seven (7) feet from a sidewalk or ten (10) feet from the surface of a street over which they hang" - and a three foot maximum hedge height at Section 12-14(b)(4).

What's protected in Beckley

Trees and shrubs on city ground, and only for planting. Section 12-13: "It shall be unlawful for any person to plant any tree, shrub or perform any form of horticulture in any parkway, street, alley or other property owned or held by the city without having first obtained the written consent of the council." Note that this is consent of COUNCIL, not a department.
Trees during a street excavation. Section 12-207: "In the making of any excavation or opening under this article, all work in connection therewith shall be done in such a manner as not to injure or destroy the roots, trunk or branches of any tree. All directions given by the director of public works as to the manner of performing said work, in order to avoid such injury or destruction, shall be fully and completely complied with."
Anything that becomes a nuisance, under the general nuisance rule. Section 8-201: "No person owning, leasing, occupying or having charge of any premises shall maintain or keep any nuisance thereon." Beckley also runs a separate public nuisance article at Chapter 10, Article V, and citations to abate at Section 8-225. These are duties to act, not restrictions on cutting.

How to apply in Beckley

1
To remove a tree on your own property, nothing. Beckley publishes no tree removal application and the code requires none.
2
To PLANT a tree or shrub in a parkway, street, alley or on other city property, Section 12-13 requires "the written consent of the council." Start at City Hall, (304) 256-1768, 409 S Kanawha St.
3
If you have received a notice about a dead or overhanging tree, the duty is spelled out at Section 12-14(b) and runs to the owner, controller and manager of the abutting lot. Call Code Enforcement at 304-256-1738 to confirm what is being required.
4
If you are digging in the street or right of way, Section 12-207 requires you to follow the director of public works' directions on protecting tree roots, trunk and branches.

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee: No tree removal permit exists, so there is no fee. The code sets no fee for the Section 12-13 planting consent either, which is granted by council rather than purchased.
Penalties: No tree-specific penalty appears in Chapter 12. Violations fall under the general code penalty and the nuisance abatement machinery at Section 8-225 (citations to abate public nuisances) and Chapter 10, Article V (public nuisance). Section 12-14 does not itself state a fine. This is one of the thinner enforcement provisions found in the state and the specific dollar exposure was not confirmed - ask Code Enforcement at 304-256-1738.
Ordinance: Charter and Code of Beckley, West Virginia, Chapter 12 (Streets and Sidewalks), Article I, Sections 12-13 and 12-14, both carried forward from the 1971 Code Sections 24-1 and 24-2, and Section 12-207 from 1971 Code Section 22-32. Nuisance authority is Chapter 8 (Health and Sanitation), Article II, and Chapter 10, Article V. Zoning is Chapter 15. Municode prints a charter cross-reference on Section 12-13 reading "Authority of council to regulate planting, etc., of shade trees in public places and on adjacent property, Section 21(6)," and state law references to W. Va. Code Sections 17-19-13, 61-3-48 and 61-3-48a. Code current through an ordinance of August 12, 2025 (Supp. No. 33, Update 1).

Worth knowing

The duty to cut is broad and it is the operative Beckley tree law. Section 12-14(a) applies "to trees, shrubs, hedges, weeds and bushes growing either upon lots or upon parkways and portions of streets adjacent to such lots," and Section 12-14(b) requires the abutting owner to remove dead or dangerous trees and limbs, trim overhanging limbs to seven feet over a sidewalk and ten feet over a street, clear weeds and bushes off sidewalks and streets, keep hedges under three feet, and "cut down and remove any tree, plant or shrubbery or any part thereof as may be necessary to provide a clear and unobstructed view of traffic from all directions at any street intersection."
Beckley's zoning contains no tree preservation rule. Chapter 15 has landscaping requirements only at Section 15-24(c), and those are screening standards - service courts, storage areas and loading docks screened along rear and side lot lines to a minimum five foot width and seven foot height, and trash containers serving more than one residential unit or a nonresidential structure screened on three sides to at least six feet. Vegetation used for screening must reach "a minimum opaqueness of seventy-five (75) per cent at all times within two (2) years of planting." None of it reaches an existing single-family lot.
The charter grant is broader than the ordinance, which is the classic pattern of authority held and not used. The code's own cross-reference describes Section 21(6) of the charter as authority "to regulate planting, etc., of shade trees in public places and on adjacent property." Adjacent property means private land. The council has not written a private-tree rule under it.
The code points its readers at state law, and those references matter more here than the local rules. Section 12-13 carries state law references to W. Va. Code Section 17-19-13, which makes it a misdemeanor to kill a tree and leave it standing within fifty feet of a public road, and to Sections 61-3-48 and 61-3-48a, which cover cutting or carrying away trees within a hundred yards of a public road and impose treble damages for cutting a tree on someone else's land without written permission.
Beckley runs an annual curbside spring and fall cleanup plus Christmas tree pickup and disposal, and lists "Cutting of Right of Way" among its maintenance tasks. It publishes no routine limb or brush collection program.
Beckley's zoning chapter is unusually short and its Article II is entirely sign regulations, so if you are looking for a tree rule in zoning there is nothing there to find.

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.

— The exact penalty for violating Section 12-14. Chapter 12 states none and the general code penalty section was not read. Ask Code Enforcement at 304-256-1738.
— How much notice you get before the city acts on an unsafe tree, and whether the cost becomes a lien or a special assessment. Section 12-14 states a duty but no procedure or cost recovery mechanism, and the nuisance articles were not read in full on that point.
— Whether Beckley has a tree board or tree commission. None appears in the code and none was found on beckley.gov.
— Whether a tree service needs a Beckley business license. Chapter 13 licenses stores, alcoholic beverages, coin-operated devices, peddlers and solicitors, garage sales, and "miscellaneous businesses," and no tree or arborist entry was seen in the article headings, but Article XII was not read line by line. Beckley does levy a business and occupation tax that would reach any business operating in the city.
— Whether Beckley has any hillside, steep slope or landslide provision. None appeared in a keyword scan of the code, but Beckley sits at about 2,400 feet in the southern coalfields and slope issues are plausible; ask Code Enforcement before clearing a steep lot.
— Whether any historic district review reaches tree removal. No historic preservation chapter was located in the code.
— The full text of charter Section 21(6). Municode publishes the charter as a single House Bill chapter and the subsection was not read directly - the wording above is the code editor's cross-reference description, not the charter itself.

Sources

Who to contact in Beckley

Beckley Public Works, formally the Robert Dow Robinson Board of Public Works - the office for street and right-of-way trees, cleanup and cutting of right of way. Code Enforcement handles site planning, zoning and building issues and is the office to call about a nuisance or an unsafe tree on someone else's lot. Planting on city ground under Section 12-13 requires the written consent of Common Council, so that request goes through City Hall.

Public Works, for a street or right-of-way tree and for cleanup: 304-256-1740, Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Code Enforcement, for a hazardous or nuisance tree and for zoning or permit questions: 304-256-1738, Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. City Hall main line, and the route to Council for a Section 12-13 planting consent: (304) 256-1768. codeenforcement@beckley.org Official page

City Hall: 409 S Kanawha St, Beckley, WV 25801. Public Works: 401 Adair St, Beckley, WV 25801, mailing P.O. Box 2514, Beckley, WV 25802. Code Enforcement: 232 Industrial Dr, Beckley, WV 25801.

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Size threshold

What's protected in Beckley

Trees and shrubs on city ground, and only for planting. Section 12-13: "It shall be unlawful for any person to plant any tree, shrub or perform any form of horticulture in any parkway, street, alley or other property owned or held by the city without having first obtained the written consent of the council." Note that this is consent of COUNCIL, not a department.

Trees during a street excavation. Section 12-207: "In the making of any excavation or opening under this article, all work in connection therewith shall be done in such a manner as not to injure or destroy the roots, trunk or branches of any tree. All directions given by the director of public works as to the manner of performing said work, in order to avoid such injury or destruction, shall be fully and completely complied with."

Anything that becomes a nuisance, under the general nuisance rule. Section 8-201: "No person owning, leasing, occupying or having charge of any premises shall maintain or keep any nuisance thereon." Beckley also runs a separate public nuisance article at Chapter 10, Article V, and citations to abate at Section 8-225. These are duties to act, not restrictions on cutting.

How to apply in Beckley

1
To remove a tree on your own property, nothing. Beckley publishes no tree removal application and the code requires none.
2
To PLANT a tree or shrub in a parkway, street, alley or on other city property, Section 12-13 requires "the written consent of the council." Start at City Hall, (304) 256-1768, 409 S Kanawha St.
3
If you have received a notice about a dead or overhanging tree, the duty is spelled out at Section 12-14(b) and runs to the owner, controller and manager of the abutting lot. Call Code Enforcement at 304-256-1738 to confirm what is being required.
4
If you are digging in the street or right of way, Section 12-207 requires you to follow the director of public works' directions on protecting tree roots, trunk and branches.

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee

No tree removal permit exists, so there is no fee. The code sets no fee for the Section 12-13 planting consent either, which is granted by council rather than purchased.

Penalties

No tree-specific penalty appears in Chapter 12. Violations fall under the general code penalty and the nuisance abatement machinery at Section 8-225 (citations to abate public nuisances) and Chapter 10, Article V (public nuisance). Section 12-14 does not itself state a fine. This is one of the thinner enforcement provisions found in the state and the specific dollar exposure was not confirmed - ask Code Enforcement at 304-256-1738.

Ordinance

Charter and Code of Beckley, West Virginia, Chapter 12 (Streets and Sidewalks), Article I, Sections 12-13 and 12-14, both carried forward from the 1971 Code Sections 24-1 and 24-2, and Section 12-207 from 1971 Code Section 22-32. Nuisance authority is Chapter 8 (Health and Sanitation), Article II, and Chapter 10, Article V. Zoning is Chapter 15. Municode prints a charter cross-reference on Section 12-13 reading "Authority of council to regulate planting, etc., of shade trees in public places and on adjacent property, Section 21(6)," and state law references to W. Va. Code Sections 17-19-13, 61-3-48 and 61-3-48a. Code current through an ordinance of August 12, 2025 (Supp. No. 33, Update 1).

Worth knowing

The duty to cut is broad and it is the operative Beckley tree law. Section 12-14(a) applies "to trees, shrubs, hedges, weeds and bushes growing either upon lots or upon parkways and portions of streets adjacent to such lots," and Section 12-14(b) requires the abutting owner to remove dead or dangerous trees and limbs, trim overhanging limbs to seven feet over a sidewalk and ten feet over a street, clear weeds and bushes off sidewalks and streets, keep hedges under three feet, and "cut down and remove any tree, plant or shrubbery or any part thereof as may be necessary to provide a clear and unobstructed view of traffic from all directions at any street intersection."
Beckley's zoning contains no tree preservation rule. Chapter 15 has landscaping requirements only at Section 15-24(c), and those are screening standards - service courts, storage areas and loading docks screened along rear and side lot lines to a minimum five foot width and seven foot height, and trash containers serving more than one residential unit or a nonresidential structure screened on three sides to at least six feet. Vegetation used for screening must reach "a minimum opaqueness of seventy-five (75) per cent at all times within two (2) years of planting." None of it reaches an existing single-family lot.
The charter grant is broader than the ordinance, which is the classic pattern of authority held and not used. The code's own cross-reference describes Section 21(6) of the charter as authority "to regulate planting, etc., of shade trees in public places and on adjacent property." Adjacent property means private land. The council has not written a private-tree rule under it.
The code points its readers at state law, and those references matter more here than the local rules. Section 12-13 carries state law references to W. Va. Code Section 17-19-13, which makes it a misdemeanor to kill a tree and leave it standing within fifty feet of a public road, and to Sections 61-3-48 and 61-3-48a, which cover cutting or carrying away trees within a hundred yards of a public road and impose treble damages for cutting a tree on someone else's land without written permission.
Beckley runs an annual curbside spring and fall cleanup plus Christmas tree pickup and disposal, and lists "Cutting of Right of Way" among its maintenance tasks. It publishes no routine limb or brush collection program.
Beckley's zoning chapter is unusually short and its Article II is entirely sign regulations, so if you are looking for a tree rule in zoning there is nothing there to find.

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.

— The exact penalty for violating Section 12-14. Chapter 12 states none and the general code penalty section was not read. Ask Code Enforcement at 304-256-1738.
— How much notice you get before the city acts on an unsafe tree, and whether the cost becomes a lien or a special assessment. Section 12-14 states a duty but no procedure or cost recovery mechanism, and the nuisance articles were not read in full on that point.
— Whether Beckley has a tree board or tree commission. None appears in the code and none was found on beckley.gov.
— Whether a tree service needs a Beckley business license. Chapter 13 licenses stores, alcoholic beverages, coin-operated devices, peddlers and solicitors, garage sales, and "miscellaneous businesses," and no tree or arborist entry was seen in the article headings, but Article XII was not read line by line. Beckley does levy a business and occupation tax that would reach any business operating in the city.
— Whether Beckley has any hillside, steep slope or landslide provision. None appeared in a keyword scan of the code, but Beckley sits at about 2,400 feet in the southern coalfields and slope issues are plausible; ask Code Enforcement before clearing a steep lot.
— Whether any historic district review reaches tree removal. No historic preservation chapter was located in the code.
— The full text of charter Section 21(6). Municode publishes the charter as a single House Bill chapter and the subsection was not read directly - the wording above is the code editor's cross-reference description, not the charter itself.