Do you need a permit?
It depends on the tree
For an ordinary tree in your own yard, Lowell requires nothing — Chapter 260 regulates only "protected shade trees," and that definition is about location, not size. Two carve-outs do reach private land, though. A tree in the laid-out public way is protected "even if said person is the owner of the fee in the land on which such tree is situated," and the laid-out way is usually wider than the pavement. So is any tree planted with public funds within 20 feet of a public way.
Size threshold
None. Lowell's permit jurisdiction turns entirely on where the tree stands, not how big it is. The only caliper numbers in Lowell law are unrelated to homeowner permits: replacement trees must be 2.5 to 3.5 inches caliper, a removed public tree of 24 inches or more caliper must be replaced two-for-one, and zoning section 11.4.10 asks Planning Board site plan projects to minimize removal of trees 6 inches caliper or larger.
What's protected in Lowell
- The definition, verbatim: "A 'protected shade tree' is any tree which is within a public way, in a public park or on other public property, as well as any public shade trees as defined by MGL c. 87. Protected shade trees shall also include those planted with public funds in public ways or upon adjoining land at a distance not exceeding 20 feet from a public way, provided that such trees have been planted in accordance with MGL c. 87, s.7."
- Trees within a public way, including where an abutting owner holds fee title underneath.
- Trees planted with public funds within 20 feet of a public way — the one route by which a tree on your own lot becomes protected.
- Any vegetation within 100 feet of a bank, lake, river, pond, stream or canal. Lowell's wetlands chapter defines "alter" to include "Destruction or dislocation of plant life, including cutting and moving of trees," and this applies on private property regardless of tree size.
How to apply in Lowell
- 1
Call the Street Department at 978-674-1807 first. The city states that "To find out if a tree is on City or Private property, you will need to contact the Street Department," and the foreman works with Engineering to establish ownership. Do this before anything else.
- 2
If the tree is protected, apply to the Tree Warden in the form the Tree Warden specifies, describing the work, the tree, and the exact location. Provide proof of insurance if required.
- 3
For a removal, the Tree Board — which in Lowell is the Conservation Commission — holds a public hearing with written notice to all directly abutting residents, plus the state-law notice posted on the tree and published in a newspaper.
- 4
The Tree Warden decides within 10 business days of a complete application.
- 5
Removal is granted only on one of four grounds: interference with structures, utilities, streets or sidewalks where relocation is not feasible; the tree is dead, diseased, injured, in danger of falling or hazardous; removal benefits other trees on the site; or removal is necessary to alleviate a substantial hardship.
- 6
Replace one-for-one with a 2.5 to 3.5 inch caliper tree within a year, or two-for-one if the removed tree was 24 inches caliper or more. Payment in lieu into the tree replacement fund is allowed with Tree Warden approval.
- 7
A permit does not take effect for at least 5 days, and not until any appeal is decided. Appeals go to the Tree Board within 5 business days and are decided within 30 days. No tree may be removed while an appeal is pending.
Fees, penalties, and the ordinance
- Penalties
- "Any person who violates any provision of this chapter... shall be subject to fines of up to $300 for each separate offense... Any builder, contractor, or agent who intentionally assisted in the commission of any such violation shall be liable for each separate violation. All such violations which are of a continuing nature shall constitute a separate offense for each day of such continuance, and each tree removed shall constitute a separate offense. Any tree removed in violation of this chapter shall also be replaced by the violator on an inch-for-inch basis." Fines go into the tree replacement revolving fund.
- Ordinance
- Code of the City of Lowell Chapter 260 — Trees, sections 260-1 through 260-13 (adopted 9-9-2003; amended 12-23-2008 and 11-19-2013). Definition at 260-3, Tree Warden at 260-5, Tree Board at 260-6, permits at 260-7 and 260-8, penalties at 260-13. Chapter 280 covers Wetlands. Code current through 3-10-2026.
Worth knowing
- The front-yard trap is the real story in Lowell. The ordinance tracks the state statute word for word on the fee-ownership point, and a homeowner who assumes the strip between sidewalk and curb is theirs can trigger a $300-per-tree fine plus inch-for-inch replacement. One phone call to 978-674-1807 settles it.
- Lowell's Tree Board is not a standalone board — Chapter 260 hands the role to the Conservation Commission, reachable at 978-674-1464. The same body that would handle your wetlands filing hears your tree appeal.
- Section 260-5B(1) says the Tree Warden has "authority, control and supervision over all protected shade trees which exist upon any private property in the City of Lowell." That sounds broader than it is — it is still bounded by the section 260-3 definition, and does not convert ordinary yard trees into regulated ones.
- The city's DPW tree service program scopes itself explicitly to the City right-of-way, and the city states plainly that if you own the tree, you bear responsibility for making it safe.
- Lowell published a Resilient Urban Forest Master Plan and Urban Heat Island Assessment in September 2023, the five-year urban forestry plan the ordinance requires, and pursues Tree City USA recertification annually.
- A scripting trap worth knowing: the American Legal slug for "lowell" is Lowell, North Carolina. Lowell, Massachusetts is on eCode360.
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 dollar fee for a tree work or tree removal permit. Section 260-7B(2) points to Chapter 150, Fees, but the adopted Schedule of Fees and Penalties (Supplement 22, December 2025) contains no tree line item at all.
- — Whether the Tree Board ever adopted the schedule of fines that section 260-13A contemplates. The $300 is a ceiling "as provided in a schedule to be adopted," and no such schedule was found.
- — Whether the Lowell Historic Board or any local historic district commission reviews tree removal on private property. Its published material is silent on trees. Call 978-674-1464 rather than assuming either way.
- — Whether a homeowner-facing application form exists. Section 260-7B(1) leaves the form to the Tree Warden's discretion and none is published.
- — Whether the Conservation Commission's wetlands regulations contain a minor-activity exemption that would let a homeowner cut a single tree inside the 100-foot buffer without filing.