Tree Removal Permits in Springfield, OR

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

Do you need a permit?

It depends on the tree

Springfield does not regulate individual tree removal. It regulates volume on larger lots, through a three-part test that must all be true at once: more than five trees, each 5 inches DBH or larger, within 12 consecutive months, on a lot of 10,000 square feet or more. A typical Springfield residential lot is under 10,000 square feet, and on such a lot no permit is required to remove any number of trees of any size. Note there is no single-family exemption written into the code — the exemption is by lot size and tree count. There is also no dead or hazard tree exemption: hazard is an approval criterion, not an exception.

Size threshold

Springfield Development Code 5.19.110(A): "A Tree Felling Permit shall be required prior to the felling of more than 5 trees 5-inch dbh (diameter at breast height) or larger within a period of 12 consecutive months from a lot/parcel of private property under common ownership consisting of 10,000 square feet or more of total area." Dbh is defined at SDC 6.1.110 as "The diameter of a tree measured 4-1/2 feet above the ground at the base of the tree." The fee schedule corroborates that five or fewer is exempt: its tiers begin at "Minor Tree Felling -Type 2, 6-10 Trees."

What's protected in Springfield

Street trees on private property, at any lot size. SDC 4.2.140(B)(2)(b): "Existing street trees on private property cannot be removed without prior authorization or direction as provided in Springfield Municipal Code 5.050, or as approved through a Type 2 or Type 3 review."
Trees in a locally significant wetland or riparian natural resource protection area — an outright prohibition. SDC 4.3.117(G)(2) prohibits "Excavation, drainage, grading, fill, or removal of vegetation except for fire protection purposes or removing hazard trees."
Riparian areas along Water Quality Limited Watercourses. SDC 4.3.115(D) sets the boundary at 75 feet landward from the top of bank on watercourses of 1,000 cubic feet per second or greater and 50 feet on smaller ones, and states that "Existing native vegetative ground cover and trees must be preserved, conserved, and maintained."
The Willamette Greenway Overlay, which applies to "all lands which are within 150 feet of the ordinary low water line on the channel of the Willamette River." In the Glenwood Riverfront portion, SDC 3.4.280(C) defines development to include activity that would "remove or destroy plant life."
Trees required as landscaping under a prior development approval. The city states: "Any required landscaping trees previously approved by the City with a development application must be replaced if removed."

How to apply in Springfield

1
Submit the Tree Felling Permit application to the Development Services Department, by email to planning@springfield-or.gov or in person at 225 Fifth Street. The city warns that "Applications missing required items will not be accepted for submittal."
2
Include the application form signed by both applicant and owner, the application, administrative and notice fees, proof of ownership, and a narrative with findings addressing all SDC 5.19.125 criteria.
3
Include one paper and one digital copy of a scaled plot plan showing "The species or common name of the trees / The location of trees to be removed and their sizes / The method of tree removal and the hauling route to be used / A description of any plan (Vegetation and Re-vegetation Report)."
4
Submit concurrently with Site Plan Review or Land Division applications where applicable.
5
Planning staff conducts a completeness check within 30 days of submittal, followed by written notice of completeness.
6
This is a Type 2 decision made after public notice but without a hearing unless appealed. Mailed notice goes to property owners and occupants within 300 feet and to any applicable neighborhood association, the applicant must post a city-provided sign on the property, and there is a 14-day public comment period. The decision may be appealed within 12 calendar days.

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee: FY27 Master Fees and Charges, Section 8, Planning Services: "Minor Tree Felling -Type 2, 6-10 Trees" $1,724.00 base; "Major Tree Felling -Type 2, More Than 10 Trees" $2,435.00 base; "Filbert Orchards or other habitat restoration projects - Type 2" $1,724.00 base. With the 7.5 percent administrative fee and the $225 notice fee, the totals are $2,078.30 (minor) and $2,842.63 (major).
Penalties: There is no tree-specific monetary penalty in the Development Code. SDC 5.19.130(C): "Failure to comply with a condition of a Tree Felling Permit within the designated time is a violation of this section," enforced through the abatement and civil infraction procedures in the Springfield Municipal Code. SDC 5.19.130(B) allows the Director to require a surety bond. For a street tree removed from the right-of-way without authorization, SDC 4.2.140(B)(3)(c) makes the remover "responsible for reimbursing the City for the full value of the removed tree, to include replanting and watering during the 2 year tree establishment period." SMC 5.050(3) and SMC 5.262(3) each carry "a fine not exceeding $720.00 pursuant to SMC section 1.205."
Ordinance: Springfield Development Code 5.19.100 — Tree Felling Permit, comprising 5.19.105 (Purpose), 5.19.110 (Applicability), 5.19.115 (Review), 5.19.120 (Submittal Requirements), 5.19.125 (Criteria) and 5.19.130 (Conditions). The section was numbered 5.19-100 with a hyphen before the 2022 recodification. Sections 5.19.125 and 5.19.130 were amended by Ordinance No. 6443, adopted by the Springfield City Council on May 16, 2022 and by the Lane County Board of County Commissioners on June 7, 2022, effective July 1, 2022 — the Development Code is jointly adopted with Lane County for the urban transition area. The Development Code includes legislation adopted through December 1, 2025; the Municipal Code through October 20, 2025.

Worth knowing

The exemptions at SDC 5.19.110(B) are for the City and utilities, not for a homeowner facing a dangerous tree. They cover action by the Director, Public Works Director or a public utility "necessary to remove or alleviate an immediate danger to life or property, to restore utility service or to reopen a public street to traffic"; felling to install or maintain improvements in public rights-of-way or utility easements; felling of trees that obstruct vision clearance; and removals already covered by an approved tree protection plan in a subdivision or partition.
Already-fallen trees are not "felling." The city states: "If trees are already down or uprooted due to storm damage, and only need to be removed from the property, then a felling permit is not required." SDC 6.1.110 defines Fell to exclude "normal trimming, or pruning of trees."
Adjacent lots are aggregated. The city states that "adjacent lots and parcels under common ownership are one property for tree felling purposes" and that "Where adjacent properties are under common ownership, the combined property size must be less than 10,000 square feet."
Small trees can still owe a replacement. The city states: "Any tree that is smaller than 5 inches diameter at breast height (dbh) does not need a permit to be removed, but if tree is required landscaping under another development permit, it must be replaced with another appropriate tree."
Street tree replacement is mandatory. SDC 4.2.140(B)(3): "Any street tree proposed to be removed must be replaced with a tree at least 2 inches in caliper," and it is the property owner's responsibility to plant it.
A required street tree can physically sit on your lot. The code provides that where there is no planter strip, street trees "must be planted in the required front yard or street side yard setback of private property."
The Land and Drainage Alteration Permit can catch tree work. SMC 8.404(1)(a) applies the LDAP to activities that result in land disturbance "including, but not limited to, clearing, grading, grubbing, tree felling, excavating, filling," and SMC 8.412(1) triggers it at 500 square feet in a sensitive area or 7,000 square feet on a lot. SMC 8.416(3) also lets the director require a tree protection plan "To ensure retention of trees over five inches or greater DBH."
The Hillside Development Overlay defines a "wooded lot" as one "that is 10,000 square feet or larger, above 670 feet in elevation, which contains more than 5 trees 8 inches or greater dbh," and SDC 3.3.530(C) requires a Vegetation and Re-vegetation Report "if tree felling is proposed."
Springfield does not license or separately regulate tree services beyond general business licensing. State law still requires an LCB or CCB licence.

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.

— A contradiction on the city's own fact sheet. Its left column says a permit is required when "Five (5) or more trees are cut down," while its right column and exemption list say the permit "is only required for cutting down/felling more than 5 hazardous trees (5"dbh or more) on a property larger than 10,000 square feet" and that "Cutting down 5 or fewer trees on property over 10,000 square feet does not require a permit." The code and the fee schedule both support the "more than 5" reading, but both statements are reported.
— A second five-versus-more-than-five conflict inside the code itself. SDC 4.2.140(B)(2)(b) says "Removal of 5 or more street trees on private property is subject to the tree felling standards specified in SDC 5.19.100," while SDC 5.19.110(A) says "more than 5." Both are current code text.
— Whether the January 2024 ice storm tree felling fee waiver is still in effect. A city news post announced that "From now until that emergency declaration expires, fees for Tree Felling Permits will be waived to remove hazardous trees created by the storm." No termination notice was found, but the FY27 fee schedule lists full fees, which suggests it has lapsed. Confirm by phone.
— What triggers the separate "Tree Removal Notification" form published alongside the Tree Felling Permit. Neither the form nor any code section states when it is required or by whom.
— The original adopting ordinance for the size threshold at SDC 5.19.110(A). The code shows no amendment history note on that subsection.
— Whether SDC 4.3.115(D)'s tree preservation language binds a homeowner doing standalone tree removal, or applies only through Land Division and Site Plan Review. The section is framed as applying "When addressing criterion (E) as specified in SDC 5.12.125, for Land Divisions, and SDC 5.17.125 for Site Plan Review," yet the sentence "Existing native vegetative ground cover and trees must be preserved, conserved, and maintained" reads as a flat duty. This is genuinely ambiguous.
— Lane County rules for unincorporated property near Springfield, outside city limits and outside the urban transition area.
— Whether the tree felling rules were ever numbered SDC 38.000. The section was already 5.19-100 on the city's 2008 application form; any earlier numbering could not be confirmed.

Sources

Who to contact in Springfield

Development and Public Works Department, City of Springfield

541-726-3753. For the Planner on Duty, choose 1, choose 1 again, and leave a message. planning@springfield-or.gov (applications); permitcenter@springfield-or.gov (planner on duty) Official page

225 Fifth Street, Springfield, OR 97477. Counter hours 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Friday.

Cost Calculators

Find Tree Services

Browse tree trimming and removal companies in Springfield.

View tree services

Related Permits

Get weekly cost & permit updates

Join homeowners who get free insights on project costs, permit changes, and money-saving tips. No spam — unsubscribe anytime.

Free forever. No credit card. Unsubscribe in one click.

Size threshold

What's protected in Springfield

Street trees on private property, at any lot size. SDC 4.2.140(B)(2)(b): "Existing street trees on private property cannot be removed without prior authorization or direction as provided in Springfield Municipal Code 5.050, or as approved through a Type 2 or Type 3 review."

Trees in a locally significant wetland or riparian natural resource protection area — an outright prohibition. SDC 4.3.117(G)(2) prohibits "Excavation, drainage, grading, fill, or removal of vegetation except for fire protection purposes or removing hazard trees."

Riparian areas along Water Quality Limited Watercourses. SDC 4.3.115(D) sets the boundary at 75 feet landward from the top of bank on watercourses of 1,000 cubic feet per second or greater and 50 feet on smaller ones, and states that "Existing native vegetative ground cover and trees must be preserved, conserved, and maintained."

The Willamette Greenway Overlay, which applies to "all lands which are within 150 feet of the ordinary low water line on the channel of the Willamette River." In the Glenwood Riverfront portion, SDC 3.4.280(C) defines development to include activity that would "remove or destroy plant life."

Trees required as landscaping under a prior development approval. The city states: "Any required landscaping trees previously approved by the City with a development application must be replaced if removed."

How to apply in Springfield

1
Submit the Tree Felling Permit application to the Development Services Department, by email to planning@springfield-or.gov or in person at 225 Fifth Street. The city warns that "Applications missing required items will not be accepted for submittal."
2
Include the application form signed by both applicant and owner, the application, administrative and notice fees, proof of ownership, and a narrative with findings addressing all SDC 5.19.125 criteria.
3
Include one paper and one digital copy of a scaled plot plan showing "The species or common name of the trees / The location of trees to be removed and their sizes / The method of tree removal and the hauling route to be used / A description of any plan (Vegetation and Re-vegetation Report)."
4
Submit concurrently with Site Plan Review or Land Division applications where applicable.
5
Planning staff conducts a completeness check within 30 days of submittal, followed by written notice of completeness.
6
This is a Type 2 decision made after public notice but without a hearing unless appealed. Mailed notice goes to property owners and occupants within 300 feet and to any applicable neighborhood association, the applicant must post a city-provided sign on the property, and there is a 14-day public comment period. The decision may be appealed within 12 calendar days.

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee

FY27 Master Fees and Charges, Section 8, Planning Services: "Minor Tree Felling -Type 2, 6-10 Trees" $1,724.00 base; "Major Tree Felling -Type 2, More Than 10 Trees" $2,435.00 base; "Filbert Orchards or other habitat restoration projects - Type 2" $1,724.00 base. With the 7.5 percent administrative fee and the $225 notice fee, the totals are $2,078.30 (minor) and $2,842.63 (major).

Penalties

There is no tree-specific monetary penalty in the Development Code. SDC 5.19.130(C): "Failure to comply with a condition of a Tree Felling Permit within the designated time is a violation of this section," enforced through the abatement and civil infraction procedures in the Springfield Municipal Code. SDC 5.19.130(B) allows the Director to require a surety bond. For a street tree removed from the right-of-way without authorization, SDC 4.2.140(B)(3)(c) makes the remover "responsible for reimbursing the City for the full value of the removed tree, to include replanting and watering during the 2 year tree establishment period." SMC 5.050(3) and SMC 5.262(3) each carry "a fine not exceeding $720.00 pursuant to SMC section 1.205."

Ordinance

Springfield Development Code 5.19.100 — Tree Felling Permit, comprising 5.19.105 (Purpose), 5.19.110 (Applicability), 5.19.115 (Review), 5.19.120 (Submittal Requirements), 5.19.125 (Criteria) and 5.19.130 (Conditions). The section was numbered 5.19-100 with a hyphen before the 2022 recodification. Sections 5.19.125 and 5.19.130 were amended by Ordinance No. 6443, adopted by the Springfield City Council on May 16, 2022 and by the Lane County Board of County Commissioners on June 7, 2022, effective July 1, 2022 — the Development Code is jointly adopted with Lane County for the urban transition area. The Development Code includes legislation adopted through December 1, 2025; the Municipal Code through October 20, 2025.

Worth knowing

The exemptions at SDC 5.19.110(B) are for the City and utilities, not for a homeowner facing a dangerous tree. They cover action by the Director, Public Works Director or a public utility "necessary to remove or alleviate an immediate danger to life or property, to restore utility service or to reopen a public street to traffic"; felling to install or maintain improvements in public rights-of-way or utility easements; felling of trees that obstruct vision clearance; and removals already covered by an approved tree protection plan in a subdivision or partition.
Already-fallen trees are not "felling." The city states: "If trees are already down or uprooted due to storm damage, and only need to be removed from the property, then a felling permit is not required." SDC 6.1.110 defines Fell to exclude "normal trimming, or pruning of trees."
Adjacent lots are aggregated. The city states that "adjacent lots and parcels under common ownership are one property for tree felling purposes" and that "Where adjacent properties are under common ownership, the combined property size must be less than 10,000 square feet."
Small trees can still owe a replacement. The city states: "Any tree that is smaller than 5 inches diameter at breast height (dbh) does not need a permit to be removed, but if tree is required landscaping under another development permit, it must be replaced with another appropriate tree."
Street tree replacement is mandatory. SDC 4.2.140(B)(3): "Any street tree proposed to be removed must be replaced with a tree at least 2 inches in caliper," and it is the property owner's responsibility to plant it.
A required street tree can physically sit on your lot. The code provides that where there is no planter strip, street trees "must be planted in the required front yard or street side yard setback of private property."
The Land and Drainage Alteration Permit can catch tree work. SMC 8.404(1)(a) applies the LDAP to activities that result in land disturbance "including, but not limited to, clearing, grading, grubbing, tree felling, excavating, filling," and SMC 8.412(1) triggers it at 500 square feet in a sensitive area or 7,000 square feet on a lot. SMC 8.416(3) also lets the director require a tree protection plan "To ensure retention of trees over five inches or greater DBH."
The Hillside Development Overlay defines a "wooded lot" as one "that is 10,000 square feet or larger, above 670 feet in elevation, which contains more than 5 trees 8 inches or greater dbh," and SDC 3.3.530(C) requires a Vegetation and Re-vegetation Report "if tree felling is proposed."
Springfield does not license or separately regulate tree services beyond general business licensing. State law still requires an LCB or CCB licence.

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.

— A contradiction on the city's own fact sheet. Its left column says a permit is required when "Five (5) or more trees are cut down," while its right column and exemption list say the permit "is only required for cutting down/felling more than 5 hazardous trees (5"dbh or more) on a property larger than 10,000 square feet" and that "Cutting down 5 or fewer trees on property over 10,000 square feet does not require a permit." The code and the fee schedule both support the "more than 5" reading, but both statements are reported.
— A second five-versus-more-than-five conflict inside the code itself. SDC 4.2.140(B)(2)(b) says "Removal of 5 or more street trees on private property is subject to the tree felling standards specified in SDC 5.19.100," while SDC 5.19.110(A) says "more than 5." Both are current code text.
— Whether the January 2024 ice storm tree felling fee waiver is still in effect. A city news post announced that "From now until that emergency declaration expires, fees for Tree Felling Permits will be waived to remove hazardous trees created by the storm." No termination notice was found, but the FY27 fee schedule lists full fees, which suggests it has lapsed. Confirm by phone.
— What triggers the separate "Tree Removal Notification" form published alongside the Tree Felling Permit. Neither the form nor any code section states when it is required or by whom.
— The original adopting ordinance for the size threshold at SDC 5.19.110(A). The code shows no amendment history note on that subsection.
— Whether SDC 4.3.115(D)'s tree preservation language binds a homeowner doing standalone tree removal, or applies only through Land Division and Site Plan Review. The section is framed as applying "When addressing criterion (E) as specified in SDC 5.12.125, for Land Divisions, and SDC 5.17.125 for Site Plan Review," yet the sentence "Existing native vegetative ground cover and trees must be preserved, conserved, and maintained" reads as a flat duty. This is genuinely ambiguous.
— Lane County rules for unincorporated property near Springfield, outside city limits and outside the urban transition area.
— Whether the tree felling rules were ever numbered SDC 38.000. The section was already 5.19-100 on the city's 2008 application form; any earlier numbering could not be confirmed.