Allegheny County, PA Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Allegheny County, PA, sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances, list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Key Facts
- Mature woodland cap
- max 50% removed
- Total woodland cap
- max 75% removed
- Timing rule
- no removal before final approval
- Replacement option
- 125% replacement woodland
Summary
Allegheny County caps how much woodland a subdivision or land development can clear, no more than 50% of mature woodland or 75% of total woodland, and bars any removal before final plan approval.
Not more than 50% of the total area of mature woodlands and not more than 75% of the total area of woodlands on a development site shall be removed in conjunction with a subdivision or land development. The remaining woodlands shall be protected as open space. No area of any existing woodland shall be removed prior to the granting of final approval of the proposed subdivision or land development.
(1) Priority in woodland preservation shall be given to woodlands in one-hundred-year floodplains, wetlands, stream valley corridors, steep slopes and landslide-prone areas.
(2) The Department may consider modification of this standard if evidence is presented from a professional arborist, forester, landscape architect or other expert whose qualifications are acceptable to the Department that a lesser area of woodlands should be preserved because of disease, undesirability of species, or other reason affecting the quality and health of the woodland.
(3) The Department may allow a greater percentage of woodland area to be cleared if new replacement woodlands are provided elsewhere on the site or an approved off-site mitigation area. The minimum area of the replacement woodland shall be at least 125% of the woodland area cleared in excess of the areas allowed in Subsection A above. The replacement woodland shall be prepared, planted and maintained in accordance with a plan prepared by a forester or other qualified professional and approved by the Department.
B.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4857026; v12 updated 2024-06-04; through 06-04-2024).
Full Breakdown
Under §780-506.A of the county's Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance, no more than 50% of mature woodland and no more than 75% of total woodland on a development site may be cleared in connection with a subdivision or land development, and the remaining woodland must be protected as open space. Critically, no woodland may be removed before the county grants final plan approval: cutting ahead of approval is treated as a violation of Chapter 780, not just a design nonconformity. The Department can allow modified caps with a professional arborist's report, or approve extra clearing if 125% replacement woodland is planted.
Violations & Fines
Clearing woodland before final subdivision approval, or exceeding the 50%/75% caps without Department authorization, is a Chapter 780 violation carrying a civil judgment up to $500 per day under §780-109.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a developer clear trees before subdivision approval in Allegheny County?
How much woodland can be cleared once approved?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Allegheny County
Compare Allegheny County to another location·View the Pennsylvania landscaping rules overview
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