Conroe, TX Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

Sec. 102-5 makes it unlawful to cut down, harvest or remove any protected tree, meaning one at least six inches in diameter at breast height, without a permit issued under the tree preservation article: a protected tree removal permit, a forest management permit, or a clearing permit tied to a subdivision plat or building permit. The section carries two exceptions. First, a hazard tree posing an imminent threat to safety may be removed immediately without a permit. Second, a homeowner residing on a residential lot may remove a protected tree without a permit, but doing so bars any non-residential use of that lot, including a change in certificate of occupancy, for five years afterward; the building official is barred from issuing a commercial permit on that lot during the five-year window.

The standard protected tree removal permit under Sec. 102-6 covers dead, dying or hazard trees, trees obstructing the only practical ingress or egress, or other trees on already-developed property if removal does not drop the site below its required minimum canopy. It authorizes removal of up to five named trees, expires 30 days after issuance, and requires an application fee set in appendix A; a replaced tree removed from developed property generally must go back on the same property unless the minimum canopy is already met without it.

The article applies citywide except for the nine-block central business district, railroad or utility easement clearing, state or local street construction, and vegetation cleared for traffic-sight-line safety.