3 rules for unincorporated Hampshire County, Massachusetts.
Verified from official government sources
Hampshire County issues no tree-removal permit, and there is no county government to run one. For a tree on your own land, no permit is generally needed. For any public shade tree in the road right-of-way, MGL c.87 requires the town tree warden's permit and a public hearing.
MGL c.87 §3
Except as provided by section five, public shade trees shall not be cut, trimmed or removed, in whole or in part, by any person other than the tree warden or his deputy, even if he be the owner of the fee in the land on which such tree is situated, except upon a permit in writing from said tree warden, nor shall they be cut down or removed by the tree warden or his deputy or other person withou...
Massachusetts keeps no statewide heritage-tree registry, and Hampshire County has no county government to maintain one. Notable trees are protected mainly as public shade trees under MGL c.87, plus town tree-program and scenic-road protections.
MGL c.87 §1
All trees within a public way or on the boundaries thereof including trees planted in accordance with the provisions of section 7 shall be public shade trees
Massachusetts has no statewide replant-what-you-cut law, and Hampshire County has no county ordinance. Replacement duties arise when a public shade tree is removed under MGL c.87 or through a town's subdivision and site-plan conditions, not from a general private-tree rule.
See every category we cover for Hampshire County — parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Hampshire County Ordinance Hub →