Elizabeth, NJ Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

45, adopted by Ordinance No. 5970 on March 26, 2024, bars anyone other than the city or another governmental agency with jurisdiction from removing street trees unless the right-of-way owner specifically authorizes it. 5 inches DBH or more, or removes non-street trees at a rate of six inches DBH or more per acre, must meet the tree replacement requirements table unless an exemption applies. 99 inches, and four for trees 33 inches DBH or larger. Replacement trees must go in within 12 months of removal, cannot be planted in temporary containers, and must be monitored by the applicant for two years to confirm survival, with dead replacements replaced within 12 months.

If on-site replanting isn't feasible, the person removing the tree may instead pay $500 per tree into a city fund dedicated to tree planting and maintenance. 040 exempts residents who remove fewer than four category 1-3 trees per acre in a rolling five-year period, tree farms, nurseries, orchards and garden centers, active silviculture under an approved stewardship plan, trees removed under a municipal or state decommissioning plan, NJDEP- or EPA-approved cleanups, approved game management practices, and confirmed hazard trees, which need neither fee nor replacement.