3 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in New Castle County, Delaware.
Verified from official government sources
New Castle County requires tree preservation plans for land development and subdivision under UDC Article 40 landscape and tree provisions. Removal of trees from individual residential lots (not part of development) does not require a county permit, but street trees in the right-of-way are county-managed. Some subdivisions have tree protection covenants enforced privately.
New Castle County does not have a heritage tree designation program. Specimen and champion trees are protected indirectly through the UDC tree preservation plan requirement for land development, DNREC natural area protections, and state park/forest designations. Delaware's Big Tree Program (Delaware Forest Service) catalogs champion trees but does not impose legal protection on private property.
New Castle County requires tree replacement in the context of land development and subdivision under UDC Article 40 landscape standards, typically at 1:1 or 2:1 ratios for removed preserved trees with minimum caliper requirements. Individual homeowner tree removal on residential lots does not trigger replacement. Fee-in-lieu available for some development projects paid to the county tree fund.
1 cities in New Castle County have their own tree protection rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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New Castle County Ordinance Hub →