Do you need a permit?
It depends on the tree
Lancaster is the one Pennsylvania city on this list with a classic diameter rule reaching into your yard. Section 273-17 makes any tree 12 inches DBH or more within 20 feet of a street right-of-way, or 24 inches DBH or more anywhere else on the lot, a "protected tree on private property," and a tree work permit is required to remove, cut, prune, transplant or treat one. Approved removals have to be replaced within a year. Below those thresholds, and for trees that are not protected, no permit is needed. The city's own tree page describes the permit as covering only right-of-way work, so call before you cut.
Size threshold
Section 273-17A: "For the purpose of this chapter, a protected tree on private property shall include any tree with a DBH of 12 inches or more located on any lot within 20 feet of a street right-of-way (including an approved private street or other access easement) or any tree with a DBH of 24 inches or more located elsewhere on the lot." DBH is defined at section 273-2B as "The measure of the diameter, in inches, of a tree trunk at a point 4.5 feet above ground."
What's protected in Lancaster
- Protected trees on private property — 12 inches DBH or more within 20 feet of a street right-of-way, or 24 inches DBH or more elsewhere on the lot. Private property here "shall include all tracts, lots and parcels, with or without improvements and not under control of the City of Lancaster."
- Shade trees, defined at section 273-2B as any tree, shrub or other woody plant "in or upon any public street, highway or avenue, or public park, trail, greenway or open space in the City," including the part of a tree that extends into those lines, and including any tree inside a recorded easement on private property.
- Street trees — any shade tree planted in the right-of-way, including between the curb and the sidewalk, and any shade tree in a recorded easement on the far side of the sidewalk from the street.
- Encroaching trees — a protected tree on private property whose branches, roots or canopy cross the property line. A neighbour may prune back the encroaching material, but only with a permit and only on their own side.
How to apply in Lancaster
- 1
Measure at DBH — 4.5 feet above the ground — and check the distance from the street right-of-way. Twelve inches within 20 feet of the right-of-way, or 24 inches elsewhere on the lot, means a permit.
- 2
Download the Tree Pruning or Removal Application and Permit from the city's trees page.
- 3
Pick a contractor from the city's registered list at www.cityoflancasterpa.gov/tree-permitting. Section 273-17C(4): "A contractor hired to perform any tree work shall file with the Department proof of liability insurance."
- 4
Fill in the property address, owner and contractor details, the number and species of trees, and a description of the work. A sketch showing the tree locations, the portions to be worked on and the property lines may be provided.
- 5
Submit to the Department of Public Works. The City Arborist reviews every application; the Department issues the permit. "The City will contact you when the permit is approved."
- 6
Post the permit on the property. The application states in capitals: "PERMIT MUST BE POSTED ON THE PROPERTY."
- 7
Replace the tree within one year. Section 273-17C(1): "All trees removed by permit shall be replaced within a period of one year from the date of removal. The property owner may, in lieu of replacing a tree on site, purchase a suitable tree for planting at a location designated by the City."
- 8
To appeal a denial or a notice, write to the Director of the Department of Public Works within 10 working days. The Director decides within 10 working days and may ask the Shade Tree Commission for an advisory opinion.
Fees, penalties, and the ordinance
- Fee
- Section 273-11(I): "The fee for the shade tree permit, if any is deemed necessary, shall be set by resolution of Council." The city's tree page states that "All work on trees in the public right of way requires a free permit from the City Arborist." No fee is published for a private-property protected tree permit.
- Penalties
- Section 273-14D(1): "Any person violating any of the provisions of this chapter shall, upon conviction thereof, be fined not less than $100 nor more than $500 for each and every offense, together with costs, plus restitution in an amount no less than the appraised value of the tree involved, plus cost of cure as obtained by the Arborist, and in default of payment thereof, be imprisoned for not more than 90 days. Each failure to obtain a permit or, having obtained a permit, to comply with any of the requirements of this chapter and each day during which such violation continues shall constitute a separate offense." Tree value is determined by an ISA certified arborist using a method approved by the Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers. Penalties are paid into the city's Hartman Tree Fund.
- Ordinance
- Code of the City of Lancaster, Chapter 273 — Trees, sections 273-1 through 273-17, adopted 11-25-2014 by Ord. No. 19-2014, superseding the former Chapter 273 adopted as Article 995 of the Codified Ordinances. Sections 273-2, 273-3, 273-5, 273-7, 273-11 and 273-17 were amended 2-27-2024 by Ord. No. 02-2024 — that is the ordinance that put the private-property protected-tree rule in its current form. Chapter 273 was further amended by Ord. No. 14-2025, adopted 12-16-2025. Requirements for planting, care, protection and preservation are supplemented by the City Tree Manual, current version dated February 2025. The eCode360 banner reads "Includes legislation through 12-23-2024," so Ord. No. 14-2025 is adopted but not yet reflected in the codified text.
Worth knowing
- Section 273-17 opens with a sentence that softens the rule without cancelling it: "In an effort to protect the safety and welfare of all residents and property owners of the City, the provisions herein provide necessary oversight that the removal of large trees on private property is performed in a proper and safe manner and that healthy large trees contributing to the City's urban tree canopy are protected. The provisions of this subsection do not preclude a property owner from removing an unhealthy or unwanted tree from their property." The permit is still required; the sentence is about the city not blocking removal outright.
- The permit is not just for removal. Section 273-17B also covers "Cutting, pruning or otherwise disturbing any protected tree roots with a diameter of two inches or more" and depositing stone, brick, sand or concrete that would impede water, air or fertilizer reaching the roots.
- A protected tree on private property gets the same care and protection as a public shade tree, under section 273-17E, and the same construction-phase Tree Protection Zone under section 273-10. The TPZ extends 12 times the trunk diameter from the trunk, or the dripline plus five feet, whichever is greater.
- The city can order a private tree removed. Section 273-5B lets the Arborist or Director order removal or treatment of a damaged, disfigured or risky private tree, with 10 business days to appeal and 10 business days to comply. Section 273-5C shortens that to five business days' notice for an imminent risk.
- Storm damage is the owner's cost either way. Section 273-8C: a shade tree felled by a storm "shall be repaired or removed, including the stump, by the owner of the property on which the tree stands or stood, or, if located on a public right-of-way, by the owner of the property nearest the point at which the tree stands or stood."
- For a right-of-way tree removal that will not be replaced, section 273-11C(2) requires the owner to have the stump removed immediately and repair the sidewalk at their own expense.
- The Shade Tree Commission operates under Chapter 22, Boards, Commissions, Etc., Article III.
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 city's public trees page states that "All work on trees in the public right of way requires a free permit from the City Arborist" and says nothing about protected trees on private property, while section 273-17 plainly requires a permit for them. Both are city sources and we are not resolving the difference — assume the code controls and call (717) 517-0864 before removing a large tree.
- — The city's April 2025 Tree Pruning or Removal Application cites "section 273-22(c) of City Code" for the twelve-month replacement rule, but the codified Chapter 273 runs only from section 273-1 to section 273-17 and the replacement rule is at section 273-17C(1). The form's citation does not match the code.
- — Whether any fee applies to a private-property protected tree permit. Section 273-11(I) leaves the fee to Council resolution and the city publishes a free permit only for right-of-way work.
- — What Ord. No. 14-2025, adopted 12-16-2025, changed in Chapter 273. It is listed as amending the Trees chapter but is not yet in the codified text.
- — Turnaround time for permit review. The city says only that it will contact you when the permit is approved.