Landscaping Rules in Lancaster County, PA (2026)

2 rules for unincorporated Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Verified from official government sources

Note: These county rules apply to unincorporated areas of Lancaster County. If you live within an incorporated city, that city's own rules apply: see the city list below.

Tree Removal & Heritage Trees

Tree-removal permits are municipal, not county-level (street trees need a permit under the PA Shade Tree Act). Lancaster County's distinctive land-protection authority is farmland preservation: it runs the nation's largest program under PA's Agricultural Area Security Law, permanently conserving productive farmland.

Tree Removal Permits and Lancaster's Farmland Preservation

Some Restrictions

3 P.S. §902 (Ag Area Security Law)

It is the declared policy of the Commonwealth to conserve and protect and to encourage the development and improvement of its agricultural lands for the production of food and other agricultural products.

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Weed Ordinances

Lancaster County sets no weed ordinance; your municipality does (e.g., Lancaster City's six-inch limit). Statewide, Pennsylvania's Controlled Plants and Noxious Weeds law bars cultivating or propagating listed noxious weeds and lets the state order landowners to treat them.

Weeds: Municipal Nuisance Rules Plus State Noxious-Weed Law

Some Restrictions

3 Pa.C.S. §1515(b)

Except as established in an individual permit allowing educational or research purposes, it shall be a violation of this chapter to distribute, cultivate or propagate any noxious weed within this Commonwealth.

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

All Lancaster County ordinances

See every category we cover for Lancaster County: parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.

Lancaster County Ordinance Hub →