Tree Removal Permits in Philadelphia, PA

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

Do you need a permit?

No permit required for most private trees

If you own a single-family or two-family home in Philadelphia and you want to cut down a tree in your own yard with no construction going on, you do not need a city permit, at any size. The zoning code's tree rules are expressly turned off for single-family, two-family and urban-agriculture lots doing plain site clearing, and Parks & Recreation says flatly that it is not responsible for trees growing in yards. Three things flip the answer: the curbside street tree, which the city regulates even though you own it; tree removal that is part of construction on a lot over 5,000 square feet; and clearing inside the Steep Slope Protection Area or the Wissahickon Watershed Overlay.

Size threshold

No diameter threshold applies to an ordinary homeowner removing a yard tree, because section 14-705(1) does not apply at all. Where it does apply — development on lots over 5,000 square feet — section 14-705(1)(g)(.1) reaches "all healthy trees on the lot of 2.5 in. of DBH or larger" and section 14-203(145) defines a Heritage Tree as "Any tree that has a diameter breast height of 24 in. or more and is of a species listed on the Department of Parks and Recreation Heritage Tree Species List."

What's protected in Philadelphia

Street trees in the public right-of-way. Section 15-203(1) gives Parks & Recreation "exclusive custody and control of and responsibility for the street trees on the streets of Philadelphia." A contractor must obtain a tree work permit from the Street Tree Management Office before pruning or removing one.
Heritage trees — 24 inches DBH or more AND on the published species list (red and sugar and silver maple, sweet and river birch, hickory, American chestnut, hackberry, persimmon, American beech, white and green ash, honey-locust, Kentucky coffee-tree, black walnut, sweetgum, tuliptree, red mulberry, sourgum, eastern white pine, London planetree, sycamore, eastern cottonwood, wild black cherry, oak, black willow, sassafras, basswood, Canada hemlock, American and slippery elm). Protected only where section 14-705(1) applies.
Trees in the Steep Slope Protection Area. Section 14-704(2)(d)(.2): "On those portions of the lot where the slope of land is twenty-five percent (25%) or greater, no site clearing or earth moving activity is permitted."
Trees in the Wissahickon Watershed Overlay (/WWO). Section 14-510(2) applies the overlay "to all construction site clearing and earth moving within the Wissahickon Watershed."
Trees in the Fairmount Park System, under Chapter 15-200.

How to apply in Philadelphia

1
Yard tree on a single-family or two-family lot, no construction: there is no city application. Hire a certified arborist at your own expense. Parks & Recreation states that "Property owners are able to hire certified arborists to do this work at their own expense."
2
Street tree (the curbside tree): report it to Parks & Recreation first, through 311 or by calling (215) 685-4363. The city prunes and removes hazardous street trees for free, but "is not able to remove living, healthy trees."
3
To use your own arborist on a street tree instead: "Contractors must obtain a tree work permit from the Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Street Tree Management office at (215) 685-4362 or (215) 685-4363," or email StreetTree.Info@phila.gov.
4
If your removal is site clearing on a lot over 5,000 square feet that is NOT a single-family, two-family or urban-agriculture use, or is inside the Steep Slope Protection Area or Wissahickon Watershed Overlay, apply for a Zoning Permit for site clearing through eCLIPSE. Planning Commission approval comes first for steep slope and Wissahickon sites.
5
Where tree replacement applies, section 14-705(1)(g)(.1)(.b) requires that "The total caliper inches of all replacement trees shall be no less than the total inches of DBH of all trees removed from the lot," with no replacement tree smaller than 2.5 caliper inches.
6
Where total healthy-tree removal equals or exceeds 24 DBH inches, section 14-705(1)(g)(.4) requires mailed notice to your district councilmember and to the Director of the Office of Sustainability.

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee: Nothing, for a homeowner removing a yard tree — there is no permit, so there is no fee. Where a Zoning Permit for site clearing IS triggered, the city lists a non-refundable filing fee of "$25" for one-or-two-family dwellings and "$100" for all other uses, plus a permit fee of "$253" for a lot of 30,000 square feet or less and "$632" above that. Optional accelerated plan review is $1,050. The fee-in-lieu when tree replacement is waived runs $400 per DBH inch for the first 75 inches per acre, $200 per inch from 75 to 250, and $50 per inch above 250.
Penalties: Street trees and the Fairmount Park System, section 15-204(2)(a): "The penalty for violation of any provision of this Chapter or regulations established pursuant hereto shall be a minimum fine of one hundred dollars ($100) and no more than three hundred dollars ($300) for each violation." A violator handed a notice may instead pay $25 within ten days and waive appearance. Zoning Code violations run through section 14-306(2) to Title 4, Subcode A, section A-601.1: "a fine of three hundred dollars ($300) for each offense."
Ordinance: The Philadelphia Code, Title 14 (Zoning and Planning), section 14-705(1) — On-Site Landscape and Tree Requirements; section 14-704(2) — Steep Slope Protection; section 14-510 — Wissahickon Watershed Overlay. Title 15 (Parks and Recreation), section 15-203 — Street Trees. Title 14 was repealed and replaced in full by Bill No. 110845, approved December 22, 2011, effective August 22, 2012. Section 14-705(1) was amended by Bill No. 210075 (approved March 29, 2021), Bill No. 220414 (approved September 13, 2022) and Bill No. 250523 (approved June 13, 2025); the heritage tree provisions were amended by Bill No. 210078-A (approved April 28, 2021). The "Site Clearing" definition at section 14-203(298.1) was added by Bill No. 200160 (approved October 15, 2020). Section 15-203 was added in 1979 and amended by Bill No. 960826-A (approved July 1, 1997). The electronic code is current through May 25, 2026.

Worth knowing

The single most important distinction in Philadelphia is street tree versus yard tree. Parks & Recreation puts it plainly: "The City of Philadelphia has jurisdiction over street trees, but the trees are owned by the property owner." And separately: "Will Parks & Rec take care of a problem with a tree in my yard? No. The department is not responsible for trees growing in yards."
You cannot have a healthy street tree taken down because you dislike it. "Parks & Rec does not remove healthy, living trees. There has to be a valid problem for the tree to be removed."
The city pays for street tree work, not you. Section 15-203(2)(a) and (3): "No costs shall be charged to an abutting private property owner for any street tree maintenance / removal unless expressly authorized by ordinance of City Council."
Sidewalk damage is still your problem: "The Philadelphia Code states that the property owner is responsible for maintaining their sidewalks in a safe condition. There are no exceptions for damage to sidewalks caused by tree roots."
Storm emergencies: call 911 if a tree or branch is blocking the sidewalk or street or has landed on a roof or car. Non-emergencies go to 311, and the city says staff arrive within 7 to 10 working days.
The trap for a homeowner doing an addition: the single-family and two-family exemption is written into the "all other site clearing" branch of section 14-705(1)(a)(.2). Clearing that IS associated with development on a lot over 5,000 square feet does not get that exemption, so replacement inches and the heritage-tree bar both apply.
Most Philadelphia rowhome lots are far under 5,000 square feet, which puts them outside section 14-705(1) entirely regardless of use type.
Section 14-203(298.1) carves life safety out of the definition of site clearing: it excludes "tree removal that is conducted to address a life safety issue identified by L&I."
Philadelphia has no shade tree commission. Section 15-203(1) still names the "Fairmount Park Commission"; those functions are exercised today by Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and the code text has not been renamed.

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 Parks & Recreation street tree work permit carries a fee, or is free. No city page states either.
— There is no published application form or online portal for the street tree work permit — every city page routes you to a phone number instead.
— Whether the Heritage Tree Species List referenced in section 14-203(145) has been updated since the version posted on phila.gov, which is dated August 27, 2013.
— The city's own Heritage Tree List PDF says heritage trees may be removed only by special exception. The current codified section 14-705(1)(f) is broader and also allows removal without a special exception for a dead or hazardous tree certified by an arborist, a Streets Department hazard finding, and certain industrial and PAID-held lots. The PDF appears superseded on that point, but both are city sources and we are not resolving it here.
— Whether tree removal by itself requires a Philadelphia contractor license under section 9-1004. The definition of "Construction" is broad but no city interpretation applies it to tree work.
— No city page says in plain words "no permit is required to remove a tree on private property." The answer above rests on the explicit exemption in section 14-705(1)(a)(.2)(.b) and on the scope statement on the city's own site-clearing permit page.

Sources

Who to contact in Philadelphia

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation — Urban Forestry & EcoSystem Management, Street Tree Management Office

(215) 685-4363 or (215) 685-4362. For zoning permits (development, steep slope, Wissahickon): Licenses and Inspections, dial 311, or (215) 686-8686 from outside the city. StreetTree.Info@phila.gov Official page

One Parkway Building, 10th Floor, 1515 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102

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Size threshold

What's protected in Philadelphia

Street trees in the public right-of-way. Section 15-203(1) gives Parks & Recreation "exclusive custody and control of and responsibility for the street trees on the streets of Philadelphia." A contractor must obtain a tree work permit from the Street Tree Management Office before pruning or removing one.

Heritage trees — 24 inches DBH or more AND on the published species list (red and sugar and silver maple, sweet and river birch, hickory, American chestnut, hackberry, persimmon, American beech, white and green ash, honey-locust, Kentucky coffee-tree, black walnut, sweetgum, tuliptree, red mulberry, sourgum, eastern white pine, London planetree, sycamore, eastern cottonwood, wild black cherry, oak, black willow, sassafras, basswood, Canada hemlock, American and slippery elm). Protected only where section 14-705(1) applies.

Trees in the Steep Slope Protection Area. Section 14-704(2)(d)(.2): "On those portions of the lot where the slope of land is twenty-five percent (25%) or greater, no site clearing or earth moving activity is permitted."

Trees in the Wissahickon Watershed Overlay (/WWO). Section 14-510(2) applies the overlay "to all construction site clearing and earth moving within the Wissahickon Watershed."

Trees in the Fairmount Park System, under Chapter 15-200.

How to apply in Philadelphia

1
Yard tree on a single-family or two-family lot, no construction: there is no city application. Hire a certified arborist at your own expense. Parks & Recreation states that "Property owners are able to hire certified arborists to do this work at their own expense."
2
Street tree (the curbside tree): report it to Parks & Recreation first, through 311 or by calling (215) 685-4363. The city prunes and removes hazardous street trees for free, but "is not able to remove living, healthy trees."
3
To use your own arborist on a street tree instead: "Contractors must obtain a tree work permit from the Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Street Tree Management office at (215) 685-4362 or (215) 685-4363," or email StreetTree.Info@phila.gov.
4
If your removal is site clearing on a lot over 5,000 square feet that is NOT a single-family, two-family or urban-agriculture use, or is inside the Steep Slope Protection Area or Wissahickon Watershed Overlay, apply for a Zoning Permit for site clearing through eCLIPSE. Planning Commission approval comes first for steep slope and Wissahickon sites.
5
Where tree replacement applies, section 14-705(1)(g)(.1)(.b) requires that "The total caliper inches of all replacement trees shall be no less than the total inches of DBH of all trees removed from the lot," with no replacement tree smaller than 2.5 caliper inches.
6
Where total healthy-tree removal equals or exceeds 24 DBH inches, section 14-705(1)(g)(.4) requires mailed notice to your district councilmember and to the Director of the Office of Sustainability.

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee

Nothing, for a homeowner removing a yard tree — there is no permit, so there is no fee. Where a Zoning Permit for site clearing IS triggered, the city lists a non-refundable filing fee of "$25" for one-or-two-family dwellings and "$100" for all other uses, plus a permit fee of "$253" for a lot of 30,000 square feet or less and "$632" above that. Optional accelerated plan review is $1,050. The fee-in-lieu when tree replacement is waived runs $400 per DBH inch for the first 75 inches per acre, $200 per inch from 75 to 250, and $50 per inch above 250.

Penalties

Street trees and the Fairmount Park System, section 15-204(2)(a): "The penalty for violation of any provision of this Chapter or regulations established pursuant hereto shall be a minimum fine of one hundred dollars ($100) and no more than three hundred dollars ($300) for each violation." A violator handed a notice may instead pay $25 within ten days and waive appearance. Zoning Code violations run through section 14-306(2) to Title 4, Subcode A, section A-601.1: "a fine of three hundred dollars ($300) for each offense."

Ordinance

The Philadelphia Code, Title 14 (Zoning and Planning), section 14-705(1) — On-Site Landscape and Tree Requirements; section 14-704(2) — Steep Slope Protection; section 14-510 — Wissahickon Watershed Overlay. Title 15 (Parks and Recreation), section 15-203 — Street Trees. Title 14 was repealed and replaced in full by Bill No. 110845, approved December 22, 2011, effective August 22, 2012. Section 14-705(1) was amended by Bill No. 210075 (approved March 29, 2021), Bill No. 220414 (approved September 13, 2022) and Bill No. 250523 (approved June 13, 2025); the heritage tree provisions were amended by Bill No. 210078-A (approved April 28, 2021). The "Site Clearing" definition at section 14-203(298.1) was added by Bill No. 200160 (approved October 15, 2020). Section 15-203 was added in 1979 and amended by Bill No. 960826-A (approved July 1, 1997). The electronic code is current through May 25, 2026.

Worth knowing

The single most important distinction in Philadelphia is street tree versus yard tree. Parks & Recreation puts it plainly: "The City of Philadelphia has jurisdiction over street trees, but the trees are owned by the property owner." And separately: "Will Parks & Rec take care of a problem with a tree in my yard? No. The department is not responsible for trees growing in yards."
You cannot have a healthy street tree taken down because you dislike it. "Parks & Rec does not remove healthy, living trees. There has to be a valid problem for the tree to be removed."
The city pays for street tree work, not you. Section 15-203(2)(a) and (3): "No costs shall be charged to an abutting private property owner for any street tree maintenance / removal unless expressly authorized by ordinance of City Council."
Sidewalk damage is still your problem: "The Philadelphia Code states that the property owner is responsible for maintaining their sidewalks in a safe condition. There are no exceptions for damage to sidewalks caused by tree roots."
Storm emergencies: call 911 if a tree or branch is blocking the sidewalk or street or has landed on a roof or car. Non-emergencies go to 311, and the city says staff arrive within 7 to 10 working days.
The trap for a homeowner doing an addition: the single-family and two-family exemption is written into the "all other site clearing" branch of section 14-705(1)(a)(.2). Clearing that IS associated with development on a lot over 5,000 square feet does not get that exemption, so replacement inches and the heritage-tree bar both apply.
Most Philadelphia rowhome lots are far under 5,000 square feet, which puts them outside section 14-705(1) entirely regardless of use type.
Section 14-203(298.1) carves life safety out of the definition of site clearing: it excludes "tree removal that is conducted to address a life safety issue identified by L&I."
Philadelphia has no shade tree commission. Section 15-203(1) still names the "Fairmount Park Commission"; those functions are exercised today by Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and the code text has not been renamed.

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 Parks & Recreation street tree work permit carries a fee, or is free. No city page states either.
— There is no published application form or online portal for the street tree work permit — every city page routes you to a phone number instead.
— Whether the Heritage Tree Species List referenced in section 14-203(145) has been updated since the version posted on phila.gov, which is dated August 27, 2013.
— The city's own Heritage Tree List PDF says heritage trees may be removed only by special exception. The current codified section 14-705(1)(f) is broader and also allows removal without a special exception for a dead or hazardous tree certified by an arborist, a Streets Department hazard finding, and certain industrial and PAID-held lots. The PDF appears superseded on that point, but both are city sources and we are not resolving it here.
— Whether tree removal by itself requires a Philadelphia contractor license under section 9-1004. The definition of "Construction" is broad but no city interpretation applies it to tree work.
— No city page says in plain words "no permit is required to remove a tree on private property." The answer above rests on the explicit exemption in section 14-705(1)(a)(.2)(.b) and on the scope statement on the city's own site-clearing permit page.