Do you need a permit?
No permit required for most private trees
Syracuse requires a written permit from the Commissioner of Parks and Recreation to cut down a tree in or on a city street right-of-way or public place — and the right-of-way runs to your property line, so the tree by your sidewalk is usually the city's. Chapter 22 contains no permit requirement for removing a tree standing entirely on private property; its only private-property section lets the Commissioner order you to deal with a hazardous or diseased tree.
What's protected in Syracuse
- Street trees — "any tree in or on a city street right-of-way including those trees on public right-of-way land between a sidewalk and the adjacent property line" (§ 22-1)
- Any tree in or on a public place
- Tree roots larger than five inches in diameter under the canopy of a street or public-place tree — a separate permit is required to cut them (§ 22-7)
How to apply in Syracuse
- 1
First confirm whether the tree is on public or private property. If you are not sure, call 315-473-4330 extension 3514.
- 2
If it is a city tree and you want to do the work yourself or hire your own contractor, call the Forestry Division at (315) 551-7645 or email ParksArborist@syr.gov to discuss the scope of work and get permission. This applies to renters, owners, developers and utilities.
- 3
If you simply want the city to trim or remove a tree on public property, submit a service request through the city's SYRCityline portal instead.
Fees, penalties, and the ordinance
- Penalties
- § 22-11: violating § 22-4(a) (planting without a permit), § 22-5(a) (cutting down a street or public-place tree without a permit), § 22-6, § 22-7, § 22-8(a)–(d) or § 22-9 is a violation punishable by imprisonment not exceeding 15 days, or a fine not to exceed $150, or both. Separately, under § 22-8(e), repair, removal or replanting made necessary by damage to a public tree is done by the Parks Department and the city may collect the expense from whoever is responsible.
- Ordinance
- Revised General Ordinances of the City of Syracuse, Part O, Chapter 22 — Municipal Trees (Gen. Ord. No. 48-1981, adopted 12-21-1981)
Worth knowing
- § 22-5(a) verbatim: "No person shall cut down any tree in or on a city street right-of-way or public place, or cut any branch or limb therefrom, or otherwise disrupt or degrade tree form or health, without a written permit from the commissioner of parks and recreation."
- § 22-10 is the only private-property provision: the Commissioner may notify a private owner in writing to trim or remove a hazardous or diseased tree, and if the owner does not, the city does the work and assesses the expense against the owner's tax notice.
- The city states: "The City does not perform work on trees located on private property."
- Syracuse is rewriting this ordinance. The current Municipal Tree Ordinance was adopted in 1958 and modified in 1981, and the city describes it as having "limited tree protection and mitigation measures for public and private land." Draft amendments to Chapter 22 (Municipal Trees) and Chapter 4.5 (Landscaping, Buffering and Screening) were posted for review in 2025.
- On the proposed code, the city's FAQ says: "The city hopes everyone will preserve healthy trees on their properties, but the new ordinance only affects trees affected by new or redevelopment," and it would primarily protect "large specimen trees that have a diameter of 10 inches or greater."
- The Forestry Division manages roughly 35,000 street trees and 10,000 park trees.
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 proposed Chapter 22 and Chapter 4.5 amendments have been adopted since the 2025 drafts were posted. If you are planning construction, confirm the current text with the Forestry Division before you clear.
- — The permit fee.