Tree Removal Permits in Bridgeport, CT

Verified against Bridgeport city sources · last checked 2026-08-06

Do you need a permit?

It depends on the tree

Bridgeport is the city where reading the wrong book gives you the wrong answer. The Code of Ordinances has no private tree permit at all, and Title 17, Zoning, is marked "(RESERVED)" because zoning lives in a separate document. That separate document is where the rule is. Zoning Code section 7.40.1 says "All trees on any site in any zone must meet the regulations of this section, 7.40," and section 7.40.3 makes any tree at 13 inches DBH or more a "significant tree" that must be retained unless the municipal tree warden approves removal. There is no published homeowner application, no fee and no form, so the practical step is to call the tree warden at 203-576-7233 before cutting a tree that size.

Size threshold

Zoning Code section 7.40.2 states the convention outright rather than leaving it to the term DBH: "Existing trees must be measured at the diameter of trunk, at breast height, 4 feet above grade at the base of the tree." Note that is 4 feet, not the 54 inches Hartford, New Britain and Norwalk use. Section 7.40.3.A: a significant tree is "(1) Any tree with a diameter at breast height of 13 inches or more." Section 7.40.4 adds a second tier: "Contributing trees are existing trees that are not significant trees, measuring greater than 6 inches, contributing to the city's overall tree canopy cover." A separate and easily confused convention governs new plantings — section 7.20.3.C measures caliper "6 inches above the ground or top of the root ball."

What's protected in Bridgeport

Significant trees at 13 inches DBH or more, anywhere in the city (Zoning 7.40.3.A(1)).
Groves — "A grove of trees totaling 13 inches and as determined by the municipal tree warden" (Zoning 7.40.3.A(2)).
Discretionary designations — "Any specific tree type designated significant by the municipal tree warden, based upon the tree's age, species, health, meaning within the community, and/or historical importance" (Zoning 7.40.3.A(3)).
Contributing trees over 6 inches, which carry lighter removal conditions and 1:1 replacement (Zoning 7.40.4).
Trees in the public road right-of-way, under C.G.S. 23-59 and the tree warden.
Trees in wetlands, watercourses, and anywhere in the 100-foot upland review area. Bridgeport's Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Regulations define the upland review area as "that regulated area within a distance of one hundred (100) feet from each point on the boundary of an inland wetland or watercourse" and list "clear cutting of trees or undergrowth" as a regulated activity. Note the different threshold: the wetlands regulations define clear-cutting as removing "all trees down to a two (2) inch diameter at breast height," not 13 inches.
Trees in city parks — Bridgeport Municipal Code 12.28.050.

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee: No fee is published for a homeowner tree removal approval. The Zoning Department fee schedule contains no tree removal, tree permit or Tree Planting Fund line item. The code anticipates a fee that has not been published: Zoning 7.40.4.A.3.b contemplates "A fee in-lieu of replacement trees ... paid into the city's Tree Planting Fund in accordance with the city's fee schedule. The fee must include a cost per diameter inch of tree not replaced."
Penalties: Zoning section 7.40.6: "Any person who removes a significant tree without prior permission from the municipal tree warden or causes the death of a significant tree through other means as determined by the municipal tree warden must be subject to a fine equivalent to the value of the tree. The tree value must be established using the Trunk Formula Method set forth in the latest edition of Guide for Plant Appraisal authored by the Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers." Zoning section 12.30.3 makes each day a separate offense. Municipal Code 1.12.010 sets a general penalty of "a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars ($100.00)," each day a separate offense. For a tree in the public way, C.G.S. 23-65(b) allows the court to order restoration plus "damages of up to five times the cost of restoration or statutory damages of up to five thousand dollars."
Ordinance: Zoning Code of the City of Bridgeport, section 7.40, "Existing Tree Removal and Protection." The document footer reads "ADOPTED November 29, 2021." Bridgeport Municipal Code Chapter 12.20 (Street Trees and Shrubs) and section 2.50.050 (tree warden designation); the Municipal Code is codified through the ordinance dated May 12, 2026 (Supplement No. 24, Update 1). State law: C.G.S. 23-58, 23-59, 23-60 and 23-65.

Worth knowing

Mitigation for a significant tree is 3:1 by caliper inches — replacement trees "whose calipers totaled equal 3 times the diameter of the removed tree(s)" (Zoning 7.40.3.C(4)(a)). Contributing trees are 1:1.
Removal is conditional, not automatic. Zoning 7.40.3.C allows it only where the tree has an expected life span under 2 years, poses a danger to human safety, required zoning approvals for new development have issued, and the loss is mitigated.
Tree topping is banned for regulated trees: "Tree Topping. Tree topping is not allowed. When necessary, crown reduction thinning or pruning is permitted" (Zoning 7.30.3.F.3).
Regulated tree work must be done by a licensed professional: "Tree trimming, fertilization, and other similar work must be performed by or under the management of an arborist, certified by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CTDEEP)" (Zoning 7.30.3.F.2).
Bridgeport's Inland Wetlands Agency is the Planning and Zoning Commission itself, under Municipal Code 2.78.010.A and C.G.S. 22a-42(c). One body, reached through the Zoning Department at 203-576-7217.
Coastal site plan review is unlikely to catch a homeowner tree cut. Zoning 11.80.3 exempts "Construction of an individual single-family residential structure except when such structure is in or within 100 feet of ... tidal wetlands, coastal bluffs and escarpments and beaches and dunes," and separately exempts "Activities conducted for the specific purpose of conserving or preserving soil, vegetation."
Bridgeport has no local licensing of tree contractors. Title 5, Business Licenses and Regulations, covers massage, tattoo, barbers, junk dealers, taxicabs and tow trucks, with no tree-service category.
The Historic District Commission ordinance (Municipal Code Chapter 2.98, districts at Chapter 12.32) contains no tree, vegetation or landscape provision.

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 decisive question, and it is a genuine conflict in the adopted text. Zoning 7.10.2 scopes all of Article 7 to new development, expansions of 5,000 square feet or more, new landscape and site elements, parking expansions and outdoor storage expansions, "unless otherwise stated in this article." Section 7.40.1 then otherwise states, in the broadest possible terms. A homeowner with no construction project can read 7.10.2 as an exemption and 7.40.1 as a command. The city publishes no interpretation. Call 203-576-7233 rather than picking a side.
— Whether the city actually enforces 7.40 against homeowners doing standalone removal. No enforcement guidance, FAQ or public statement was found.
— There is no published tree removal application form, checklist, review timeline or appeal route for a 7.40 tree warden decision. Zoning Article 11 lists every city land-use procedure and no tree removal permit appears among them.
— The per-diameter-inch fee-in-lieu rate for the Tree Planting Fund, and whether that fund has in fact been established.
— Who holds the tree warden office. The Charter (Chapter 14, section 12) and Municipal Code 2.50.050 both say the Director of Parks and Recreation "shall act as tree Warden of the City," while the city website lists the Parks Superintendent in the role. Both are recorded here; the phone number is the same either way.
— The zoning code's own effective date. Section 1.10.3 says "This zoning code becomes effective on January 1, 2021"; zonebridgeport.com says January 1, 2022. Adoption is dated November 29, 2021, which cannot precede a January 1, 2021 effective date.
— The date of Bridgeport's Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Regulations. The city page says adopted August 1, 2010; the posted PDF cover says "Obtained February 1, 2023."

Sources

Who to contact in Bridgeport

Tree Warden, Parks and Recreation Department, City of Bridgeport. Zoning Department co-administers the mitigation requirement.

203-576-7233 (Parks and Recreation, tree warden). Zoning Department 203-576-7217. bret.caulfield@bridgeportct.gov (Parks Superintendent and Tree Warden). Zoning: Zoning@bridgeportct.gov Official page

Parks and Recreation office, 7 Quarry Road, Trumbull, CT 06611, Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Zoning Department, 45 Lyon Terrace, Room 210, Bridgeport, CT 06604.

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Size threshold

What's protected in Bridgeport

Significant trees at 13 inches DBH or more, anywhere in the city (Zoning 7.40.3.A(1)).

Groves — "A grove of trees totaling 13 inches and as determined by the municipal tree warden" (Zoning 7.40.3.A(2)).

Discretionary designations — "Any specific tree type designated significant by the municipal tree warden, based upon the tree's age, species, health, meaning within the community, and/or historical importance" (Zoning 7.40.3.A(3)).

Contributing trees over 6 inches, which carry lighter removal conditions and 1:1 replacement (Zoning 7.40.4).

Trees in the public road right-of-way, under C.G.S. 23-59 and the tree warden.

Trees in wetlands, watercourses, and anywhere in the 100-foot upland review area. Bridgeport's Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Regulations define the upland review area as "that regulated area within a distance of one hundred (100) feet from each point on the boundary of an inland wetland or watercourse" and list "clear cutting of trees or undergrowth" as a regulated activity. Note the different threshold: the wetlands regulations define clear-cutting as removing "all trees down to a two (2) inch diameter at breast height," not 13 inches.

Trees in city parks — Bridgeport Municipal Code 12.28.050.

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee

No fee is published for a homeowner tree removal approval. The Zoning Department fee schedule contains no tree removal, tree permit or Tree Planting Fund line item. The code anticipates a fee that has not been published: Zoning 7.40.4.A.3.b contemplates "A fee in-lieu of replacement trees ... paid into the city's Tree Planting Fund in accordance with the city's fee schedule. The fee must include a cost per diameter inch of tree not replaced."

Penalties

Zoning section 7.40.6: "Any person who removes a significant tree without prior permission from the municipal tree warden or causes the death of a significant tree through other means as determined by the municipal tree warden must be subject to a fine equivalent to the value of the tree. The tree value must be established using the Trunk Formula Method set forth in the latest edition of Guide for Plant Appraisal authored by the Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers." Zoning section 12.30.3 makes each day a separate offense. Municipal Code 1.12.010 sets a general penalty of "a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars ($100.00)," each day a separate offense. For a tree in the public way, C.G.S. 23-65(b) allows the court to order restoration plus "damages of up to five times the cost of restoration or statutory damages of up to five thousand dollars."

Ordinance

Zoning Code of the City of Bridgeport, section 7.40, "Existing Tree Removal and Protection." The document footer reads "ADOPTED November 29, 2021." Bridgeport Municipal Code Chapter 12.20 (Street Trees and Shrubs) and section 2.50.050 (tree warden designation); the Municipal Code is codified through the ordinance dated May 12, 2026 (Supplement No. 24, Update 1). State law: C.G.S. 23-58, 23-59, 23-60 and 23-65.

Worth knowing

Mitigation for a significant tree is 3:1 by caliper inches — replacement trees "whose calipers totaled equal 3 times the diameter of the removed tree(s)" (Zoning 7.40.3.C(4)(a)). Contributing trees are 1:1.
Removal is conditional, not automatic. Zoning 7.40.3.C allows it only where the tree has an expected life span under 2 years, poses a danger to human safety, required zoning approvals for new development have issued, and the loss is mitigated.
Tree topping is banned for regulated trees: "Tree Topping. Tree topping is not allowed. When necessary, crown reduction thinning or pruning is permitted" (Zoning 7.30.3.F.3).
Regulated tree work must be done by a licensed professional: "Tree trimming, fertilization, and other similar work must be performed by or under the management of an arborist, certified by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CTDEEP)" (Zoning 7.30.3.F.2).
Bridgeport's Inland Wetlands Agency is the Planning and Zoning Commission itself, under Municipal Code 2.78.010.A and C.G.S. 22a-42(c). One body, reached through the Zoning Department at 203-576-7217.
Coastal site plan review is unlikely to catch a homeowner tree cut. Zoning 11.80.3 exempts "Construction of an individual single-family residential structure except when such structure is in or within 100 feet of ... tidal wetlands, coastal bluffs and escarpments and beaches and dunes," and separately exempts "Activities conducted for the specific purpose of conserving or preserving soil, vegetation."
Bridgeport has no local licensing of tree contractors. Title 5, Business Licenses and Regulations, covers massage, tattoo, barbers, junk dealers, taxicabs and tow trucks, with no tree-service category.
The Historic District Commission ordinance (Municipal Code Chapter 2.98, districts at Chapter 12.32) contains no tree, vegetation or landscape provision.

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 decisive question, and it is a genuine conflict in the adopted text. Zoning 7.10.2 scopes all of Article 7 to new development, expansions of 5,000 square feet or more, new landscape and site elements, parking expansions and outdoor storage expansions, "unless otherwise stated in this article." Section 7.40.1 then otherwise states, in the broadest possible terms. A homeowner with no construction project can read 7.10.2 as an exemption and 7.40.1 as a command. The city publishes no interpretation. Call 203-576-7233 rather than picking a side.
— Whether the city actually enforces 7.40 against homeowners doing standalone removal. No enforcement guidance, FAQ or public statement was found.
— There is no published tree removal application form, checklist, review timeline or appeal route for a 7.40 tree warden decision. Zoning Article 11 lists every city land-use procedure and no tree removal permit appears among them.
— The per-diameter-inch fee-in-lieu rate for the Tree Planting Fund, and whether that fund has in fact been established.
— Who holds the tree warden office. The Charter (Chapter 14, section 12) and Municipal Code 2.50.050 both say the Director of Parks and Recreation "shall act as tree Warden of the City," while the city website lists the Parks Superintendent in the role. Both are recorded here; the phone number is the same either way.
— The zoning code's own effective date. Section 1.10.3 says "This zoning code becomes effective on January 1, 2021"; zonebridgeport.com says January 1, 2022. Adoption is dated November 29, 2021, which cannot precede a January 1, 2021 effective date.
— The date of Bridgeport's Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Regulations. The city page says adopted August 1, 2010; the posted PDF cover says "Obtained February 1, 2023."