Bensalem, PA Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

Bensalem Township Code Ch. 215 puts every tree standing in a public highway or park under the Shade Tree Commission's control. Sec. 215-4 makes it unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to remove, cut, prune, spray, break, climb or injure any such tree or shrub without first getting a written permit from the Commission and following its conditions. The same section also bars planting new trees in a highway or park without a permit, injuring tree-protection devices, letting harmful liquids reach a tree's roots, attaching wires or signs to a tree, or leaving a stump projecting above grade after removal.

Under Sec. 215-8, the permit application goes in writing to the Commission's secretary on its own forms, must state the exact location and species of the tree affected and the work proposed, and the Commission sets how long the permit stays valid; it can revoke a permit any time it is satisfied the terms have been violated. Sec. 215-6 gives the Commission separate authority to order an owner to cut and remove trees afflicted with Emerald Ash Borer or other disease after ten days' written notice, with the Township able to remove and replace the tree at the owner's cost, liened against the property, if the owner does not comply. Anyone wanting to build, alter or remove a structure near a street tree must also erect a protective barrier under Sec. 215-4(11).