Landscaping Rules in Lancaster County, PA (2026)
3 rules for unincorporated Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
Verified from official government sources
Tree Trimming
Lancaster County sets no tree-trimming rule. Under the PA Shade Tree Act, a municipality's shade-tree commission or public works has custody of trees in the public right-of-way; private-yard trimming is largely unregulated but you own the abutting duty.
Tree Trimming: Municipal Shade-Tree Rules Apply
Some RestrictionsCity of Lancaster Code Ch. 273 (Trees)
All work on trees in the public Right-of-Way (ROW) requires a permit from the City.
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 Restrictions3 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.
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 Restrictions3 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.
All Lancaster County ordinances
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