Tree Removal Permits in Salem, OR

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

Do you need a permit?

It depends on the tree

Salem does not regulate ordinary tree removal on private property. What it protects is four narrow categories: heritage trees, "significant" trees defined by size and species, trees and native vegetation in riparian corridors, and trees on lots of 20,000 square feet or more. On a normal single-family lot you may remove a healthy tree that is not an Oregon white oak of 20 inches or more, not any other species of 30 inches or more, and not in a riparian corridor, with no city permit. Cross one of those lines and the permit is hard to get, because the approval criteria do not include wanting the tree gone.

Size threshold

Salem Revised Code 808.005 defines a Significant tree as "(a) A rare, threatened, or endangered tree of any size ...; (b) An Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana) with a dbh of 20 inches or greater; and (c) Any other tree with a dbh of 30 inches or greater, but excluding: (1) Tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima); (2) Empress tree (Paulownia tomentosa); (3) Black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa); and (4) Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)." Dbh is defined at SRC 86.010 as "the diameter of the tree trunk measured at 4.5 feet above the ground level." Note that Chapter 808 uses dbh for protection thresholds and caliper only for nursery stock; do not conflate them.

What's protected in Salem

Heritage trees — an outright prohibition, not a permit. SRC 808.010(b): "No person shall remove a heritage tree unless the tree has been determined to be a hazardous tree by a certified arborist, and such determination is verified by the Planning Administrator." Designation happens only on the owner's own nomination, by Council resolution.
Significant trees, on any lot of any size, with or without construction. SRC 808.015 bars removal except under a tree and vegetation removal permit, an approved tree conservation plan, or a tree variance.
Trees and native vegetation in a riparian corridor. SRC 808.020. The corridor is 50 feet horizontally from the top of bank on each side of a waterway under 1,000 cubic feet per second average annual stream flow, and 75 feet along the Willamette River.
Any tree on a lot or parcel of 20,000 square feet or more, or contiguous commonly-owned lots totalling that much, before site plan review or building permit approval — subject to a de minimis allowance of five trees or 15 percent per calendar year, whichever is greater, and no more than 50 percent in any five consecutive years.
City trees, meaning any tree on City property including rights-of-way. SRC 86.050(a)(1): "It shall be unlawful for any person, without a written permit from the Director, to prune or remove a City tree."
Tree removal as an independent activity on regulated slopes greater than 60 percent inside a mapped moderate or high landslide hazard risk area (SRC 810.020(a)(1)(E)).

How to apply in Salem

1
Confirm the tree is not a City tree — that is, not between the street and sidewalk, not directly behind a street-adjacent sidewalk, not in a park or right-of-way. Those go to Development Services at 503-584-4646 instead.
2
Determine whether the tree is a significant tree, a heritage tree, in a riparian corridor, or on a lot of 20,000 square feet or more. If none of those apply, no permit is needed.
3
Determine whether you meet a permit criterion under SRC 808.030(d). For a homeowner the realistic ones are a hazardous tree, or removal reasonably necessary to repair, alter or replace an existing structure without enlarging its footprint.
4
Write a statement explaining how the removal meets the criteria. For a hazardous tree, include an ISA Basic Tree Risk Assessment Form completed by an ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualified arborist.
5
Assemble supporting materials: photos, arborist reports, a site plan meeting SRC 808.030(c), and a tree inventory listing species and size of every tree on the property.
6
Apply through the Permit Application Center portal at egov.cityofsalem.net/PACPortal as a Land Use Application. Payment is due at submittal.
7
Wait for the decision. The city states: "The Planning staff will review your tree removal permit application to check if you meet the criteria. You will receive the decision about your permit application by mail. Please note that you cannot appeal the decision." It is processed as a Type I procedure.

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee: Tree and Vegetation Removal Permit: $462.00, described in the FY 2027 fee schedule as "Total base cost plus additional $85 per tree for each tree removed beyond the first." Tree Regulation Variance $2,720.00. Tree Conservation Plan for Partition or Replat $783.00; for Subdivision $1,860.00. Tree Conservation Plan Adjustment $372.00. Tree Violation Administrative Fee: "15% of restoration fee shall be set aside for administration of violation." Separately, on the street-tree side, Tree Removal Permit $172.00 for the first tree and $49 each additional, plus a Tree Removal Application/Processing Fee of $375.00 per application; Tree Pruning Permit $59.00 per project; Tree Planting Permit no fee; Tree Planting Fee in Lieu $602.00 per tree. FY 2027 Master Fee Schedule, Resolution No. 2026-18, effective July 1, 2026.
Penalties: SRC 110.110(c) sets "an administrative civil penalty as provided in SRC chapter 20J, not to exceed $2,000.00.00 per violation. Each day that a permit violation continues shall constitute a separate violation." (The "$2,000.00.00" is printed that way in the codified text.) The real exposure is SRC 808.065(c): violators must implement a replanting and restoration plan whose "planting and restoration costs ... shall be equal to the monetary value of the regulated trees and/or native vegetation removed," appraised under the ISA Guide for Plant Appraisal, with any shortfall assessed as a fee into the Salem City Tree Fund. SRC 808.065(d) blocks any notice of final completion for the property until the violation is cured and the penalty paid. Unauthorized City tree removal, SRC 86.120(c)(1), carries a civil penalty up to $2,000.00 per violation "in addition to the value of the tree."
Ordinance: Salem Revised Code Title X, Unified Development Code, Chapter 808 — Preservation of Trees and Vegetation. Salem adopted a Unified Development Code but Chapter 808 was not renumbered; it retains its number inside Title X. Ord. No. 31-13; amended by Ord. No. 13-21, § 1(Exh. A), adopted February 14, 2022, with SRC 808.030 further amended by Ord. No. 22-22, § 1(Exh. A), adopted November 28, 2022. City trees are at SRC Title VII, Chapter 86 — Trees on City Owned Property, adopted by Ord. No. 23-15, § 2, October 12, 2015. The Salem Revised Code is codified through Ordinance No. 4-26, adopted April 10, 2026 (Supp. No. 26, Update 1).

Worth knowing

A healthy significant tree on a single-family lot is functionally impossible to remove, not merely paperwork-heavy. The SRC 808.030(d) approval criteria do not include the owner wanting it gone, and the tree variance at SRC 808.045 is expressly limited to deviations "reasonably necessary to permit the otherwise lawful development of a property."
A dead or hazardous tree is not blanket-exempt. Hazardous condition is an approval criterion under 808.030(d)(1), not an exemption. The only no-permit hazard routes are removal pursuant to a City order and the emergency provision.
The emergency provision is narrow. SRC 808.030(a)(2)(I) defines "immediate danger of collapse" to mean "that the tree is already leaning, with the surrounding soil heaving, and there is a significant likelihood that the tree will topple or otherwise fall and cause damage," and requires notice to the Planning Administrator within one working day. A dead but stable tree does not qualify.
Salem will refuse most street-tree removal requests. SRC 86.090(c) states the City shall not permit removal for "Dropping of leaves, flowers, seeds, bark, sap, stems, pests, or other matter," "Improvement or maintenance of views," "Competition with turf or impact on non-plant landscaping," "Common allergies," or "Damage to items that have been placed too close to the trunk such as pavers, bricks, blocks and concrete."
There is a small street-tree pruning self-help allowance: for a street tree over 4 inches dbh you may prune without a permit if you take no more than three branches and three roots per year, none larger than 2 inches in diameter, following accepted arboricultural practice.
Contractor-side regulation reaches only public trees. SRC 30 requires a Tree Trimmer license but defines a tree trimmer as one working on trees "upon any public street, sidewalk, park, or other public right-of-way." A tree service working your back yard needs no Salem tree-trimmer licence — though the state requires an LCB or CCB licence regardless.
Planting on private property is unregulated. The city states: "You do not need a permit to plant trees on private property."
Landscaping rules do not reach houses. The city states: "SRC Chapter 807 outlines landscaping requirements for all properties, except single-family homes."
Tree removal means more than cutting down. SRC 808.005 defines it to include removing "30 percent or more of the crown, trunk, or root system," topping, toxic substances applied to roots, equipment operation, material storage, and unapproved grade change — but "does not include normal trimming or pruning of trees."
The city's homeowner page and its code disagree on one point. The page says you can remove a tree to repair or replace "a structure that has been in place since June 21, 2000." SRC 808.030(d)(2) contains no such date; June 21, 2000 appears in the code only at SRC 808.030(a)(2)(D), defining existing landscaping in a riparian corridor. Both are reported rather than reconciled.
The city's homeowner page also describes riparian areas as "the land within 50 feet on each side of the waterway," omitting the 75-foot Willamette figure that appears in SRC 111 and in the city's own permit worksheet.

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 rare, threatened or endangered tree category. SRC 808.005(a) protects these at any size but only if "included in the tree and vegetation technical manual." The manual the city publishes contains a native plant list and an invasive list but no rare, threatened or endangered tree list at all, and no waterway identification list, which the code also says it contains. This prong appears to have no operative published list.
— The heritage tree inventory. No published list, map or count of Council-designated heritage trees appears on cityofsalem.net, so an owner cannot self-check heritage status from public materials.
— The landslide hazard maps and the meaning of "regulated slope," which SRC 810.020(a)(1)(E) uses but SRC 810.010 does not define.
— Administrative Rule 109-500, which implements SRC 86 including the no-permit pruning criteria and the tree valuation methodology. Linked from the city site but not retrieved.
— Whether a Type I denial has any administrative recourse. The city states flatly that "you cannot appeal the decision."
— Which office to call. Two city pages give two different offices for the same subject — the Tree Regulations page routes all tree questions to Development Services at 503-584-4646, while the Tree Removal on Your Property page carries a Planning Division block at 503-588-6213. Both are listed above.
— Two fee-schedule rows carry residual extraction uncertainty because of column misalignment in the source PDF: the Tree Regulation Variance and Tree Conservation Plan Adjustment amounts. The Tree and Vegetation Removal Permit figure is anchored by its own note text and is high confidence.

Sources

Who to contact in Salem

Planning Division, Community Planning and Development Department, City of Salem (private-property protected trees). Street and City trees: Development Services / Permit Application Center, reviewed by the City Urban Forester.

503-588-6213 (Planning Division). Street and City trees: 503-584-4646. To report an illegal removal or request a city tree inspection: Public Works Dispatch, 503-588-6311. planning@cityofsalem.net Official page

440 Church St. SE, 5th Floor, Salem, OR 97301. Mailing: P.O. Box 14300, Salem, OR 97309. Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

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Size threshold

What's protected in Salem

Heritage trees — an outright prohibition, not a permit. SRC 808.010(b): "No person shall remove a heritage tree unless the tree has been determined to be a hazardous tree by a certified arborist, and such determination is verified by the Planning Administrator." Designation happens only on the owner's own nomination, by Council resolution.

Significant trees, on any lot of any size, with or without construction. SRC 808.015 bars removal except under a tree and vegetation removal permit, an approved tree conservation plan, or a tree variance.

Trees and native vegetation in a riparian corridor. SRC 808.020. The corridor is 50 feet horizontally from the top of bank on each side of a waterway under 1,000 cubic feet per second average annual stream flow, and 75 feet along the Willamette River.

Any tree on a lot or parcel of 20,000 square feet or more, or contiguous commonly-owned lots totalling that much, before site plan review or building permit approval — subject to a de minimis allowance of five trees or 15 percent per calendar year, whichever is greater, and no more than 50 percent in any five consecutive years.

City trees, meaning any tree on City property including rights-of-way. SRC 86.050(a)(1): "It shall be unlawful for any person, without a written permit from the Director, to prune or remove a City tree."

Tree removal as an independent activity on regulated slopes greater than 60 percent inside a mapped moderate or high landslide hazard risk area (SRC 810.020(a)(1)(E)).

How to apply in Salem

1
Confirm the tree is not a City tree — that is, not between the street and sidewalk, not directly behind a street-adjacent sidewalk, not in a park or right-of-way. Those go to Development Services at 503-584-4646 instead.
2
Determine whether the tree is a significant tree, a heritage tree, in a riparian corridor, or on a lot of 20,000 square feet or more. If none of those apply, no permit is needed.
3
Determine whether you meet a permit criterion under SRC 808.030(d). For a homeowner the realistic ones are a hazardous tree, or removal reasonably necessary to repair, alter or replace an existing structure without enlarging its footprint.
4
Write a statement explaining how the removal meets the criteria. For a hazardous tree, include an ISA Basic Tree Risk Assessment Form completed by an ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualified arborist.
5
Assemble supporting materials: photos, arborist reports, a site plan meeting SRC 808.030(c), and a tree inventory listing species and size of every tree on the property.
6
Apply through the Permit Application Center portal at egov.cityofsalem.net/PACPortal as a Land Use Application. Payment is due at submittal.
7
Wait for the decision. The city states: "The Planning staff will review your tree removal permit application to check if you meet the criteria. You will receive the decision about your permit application by mail. Please note that you cannot appeal the decision." It is processed as a Type I procedure.

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee

Tree and Vegetation Removal Permit: $462.00, described in the FY 2027 fee schedule as "Total base cost plus additional $85 per tree for each tree removed beyond the first." Tree Regulation Variance $2,720.00. Tree Conservation Plan for Partition or Replat $783.00; for Subdivision $1,860.00. Tree Conservation Plan Adjustment $372.00. Tree Violation Administrative Fee: "15% of restoration fee shall be set aside for administration of violation." Separately, on the street-tree side, Tree Removal Permit $172.00 for the first tree and $49 each additional, plus a Tree Removal Application/Processing Fee of $375.00 per application; Tree Pruning Permit $59.00 per project; Tree Planting Permit no fee; Tree Planting Fee in Lieu $602.00 per tree. FY 2027 Master Fee Schedule, Resolution No. 2026-18, effective July 1, 2026.

Penalties

SRC 110.110(c) sets "an administrative civil penalty as provided in SRC chapter 20J, not to exceed $2,000.00.00 per violation. Each day that a permit violation continues shall constitute a separate violation." (The "$2,000.00.00" is printed that way in the codified text.) The real exposure is SRC 808.065(c): violators must implement a replanting and restoration plan whose "planting and restoration costs ... shall be equal to the monetary value of the regulated trees and/or native vegetation removed," appraised under the ISA Guide for Plant Appraisal, with any shortfall assessed as a fee into the Salem City Tree Fund. SRC 808.065(d) blocks any notice of final completion for the property until the violation is cured and the penalty paid. Unauthorized City tree removal, SRC 86.120(c)(1), carries a civil penalty up to $2,000.00 per violation "in addition to the value of the tree."

Ordinance

Salem Revised Code Title X, Unified Development Code, Chapter 808 — Preservation of Trees and Vegetation. Salem adopted a Unified Development Code but Chapter 808 was not renumbered; it retains its number inside Title X. Ord. No. 31-13; amended by Ord. No. 13-21, § 1(Exh. A), adopted February 14, 2022, with SRC 808.030 further amended by Ord. No. 22-22, § 1(Exh. A), adopted November 28, 2022. City trees are at SRC Title VII, Chapter 86 — Trees on City Owned Property, adopted by Ord. No. 23-15, § 2, October 12, 2015. The Salem Revised Code is codified through Ordinance No. 4-26, adopted April 10, 2026 (Supp. No. 26, Update 1).

Worth knowing

A healthy significant tree on a single-family lot is functionally impossible to remove, not merely paperwork-heavy. The SRC 808.030(d) approval criteria do not include the owner wanting it gone, and the tree variance at SRC 808.045 is expressly limited to deviations "reasonably necessary to permit the otherwise lawful development of a property."
A dead or hazardous tree is not blanket-exempt. Hazardous condition is an approval criterion under 808.030(d)(1), not an exemption. The only no-permit hazard routes are removal pursuant to a City order and the emergency provision.
The emergency provision is narrow. SRC 808.030(a)(2)(I) defines "immediate danger of collapse" to mean "that the tree is already leaning, with the surrounding soil heaving, and there is a significant likelihood that the tree will topple or otherwise fall and cause damage," and requires notice to the Planning Administrator within one working day. A dead but stable tree does not qualify.
Salem will refuse most street-tree removal requests. SRC 86.090(c) states the City shall not permit removal for "Dropping of leaves, flowers, seeds, bark, sap, stems, pests, or other matter," "Improvement or maintenance of views," "Competition with turf or impact on non-plant landscaping," "Common allergies," or "Damage to items that have been placed too close to the trunk such as pavers, bricks, blocks and concrete."
There is a small street-tree pruning self-help allowance: for a street tree over 4 inches dbh you may prune without a permit if you take no more than three branches and three roots per year, none larger than 2 inches in diameter, following accepted arboricultural practice.
Contractor-side regulation reaches only public trees. SRC 30 requires a Tree Trimmer license but defines a tree trimmer as one working on trees "upon any public street, sidewalk, park, or other public right-of-way." A tree service working your back yard needs no Salem tree-trimmer licence — though the state requires an LCB or CCB licence regardless.
Planting on private property is unregulated. The city states: "You do not need a permit to plant trees on private property."
Landscaping rules do not reach houses. The city states: "SRC Chapter 807 outlines landscaping requirements for all properties, except single-family homes."
Tree removal means more than cutting down. SRC 808.005 defines it to include removing "30 percent or more of the crown, trunk, or root system," topping, toxic substances applied to roots, equipment operation, material storage, and unapproved grade change — but "does not include normal trimming or pruning of trees."
The city's homeowner page and its code disagree on one point. The page says you can remove a tree to repair or replace "a structure that has been in place since June 21, 2000." SRC 808.030(d)(2) contains no such date; June 21, 2000 appears in the code only at SRC 808.030(a)(2)(D), defining existing landscaping in a riparian corridor. Both are reported rather than reconciled.
The city's homeowner page also describes riparian areas as "the land within 50 feet on each side of the waterway," omitting the 75-foot Willamette figure that appears in SRC 111 and in the city's own permit worksheet.

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 rare, threatened or endangered tree category. SRC 808.005(a) protects these at any size but only if "included in the tree and vegetation technical manual." The manual the city publishes contains a native plant list and an invasive list but no rare, threatened or endangered tree list at all, and no waterway identification list, which the code also says it contains. This prong appears to have no operative published list.
— The heritage tree inventory. No published list, map or count of Council-designated heritage trees appears on cityofsalem.net, so an owner cannot self-check heritage status from public materials.
— The landslide hazard maps and the meaning of "regulated slope," which SRC 810.020(a)(1)(E) uses but SRC 810.010 does not define.
— Administrative Rule 109-500, which implements SRC 86 including the no-permit pruning criteria and the tree valuation methodology. Linked from the city site but not retrieved.
— Whether a Type I denial has any administrative recourse. The city states flatly that "you cannot appeal the decision."
— Which office to call. Two city pages give two different offices for the same subject — the Tree Regulations page routes all tree questions to Development Services at 503-584-4646, while the Tree Removal on Your Property page carries a Planning Division block at 503-588-6213. Both are listed above.
— Two fee-schedule rows carry residual extraction uncertainty because of column misalignment in the source PDF: the Tree Regulation Variance and Tree Conservation Plan Adjustment amounts. The Tree and Vegetation Removal Permit figure is anchored by its own note text and is high confidence.