Clinton Township, MI Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

03 of the Clinton Township Tree Preservation Ordinance sets two triggers. First, any new development or redevelopment that needs plat approval, site plan approval, or special land use approval must submit a detailed description of the existing natural features and characteristics of the land before that approval is granted, and no tree may come down before the plat, site plan, or special land use is approved. Second, any property owner who wants to remove five or more trees with trunks of four inches or more in diameter within any one-year period, even outside a development project, must submit the same detailed natural-features description to the Clinton Township Department of Planning and Community Development for review by the Planning Commission, and no removal can happen before the Commission signs off.

The submittal must include a drawing at a scale of at least one inch to 100 feet, or an aerial photograph, showing the location of existing trees with four-inch-plus trunks; a preliminary survey identifying their species; and plans showing which of those trees are proposed for removal, plus how remaining vegetation will be protected during construction. In deciding whether to approve the request, the Planning Commission weighs the tree canopy coverage before and after the project, the age, species, and condition of the trees slated for removal, whether replacement trees or ground cover can realistically be planted and survive, the cost of replacement relative to the total project cost, and whether a different site design could avoid the tree loss altogether. The Commission may condition approval on replacement planting under these standards. , plus the Township's separate subdivision and land-development tree rules.