Tree removal permit rules in Fort Worth, TX — sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances — list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Fort Worth Zoning Sec. 6.302 (Urban Forestry), as amended in April 2025, requires permits to remove protected trees during development and preserves 50% of post oak and blackjack oak canopy. Criminal fines for unlawful removal are $2,000 per tree, with civil penalties up to $1,200 per diameter inch of canopy lost.
Sec. 6.302 protects 47 tree species during development and redevelopment projects. Most protected species are regulated at 24 inches diameter at breast height (DBH) or greater, while post oak and blackjack oak located east of Interstate 35W are protected at 18 inches DBH. Development projects must preserve at least 50% of post oak and blackjack oak canopy coverage (up from 25% before the April 2025 amendment). Protective fencing — minimum 4-foot orange mesh on T-posts — must encircle the critical root zone of preserved trees before any site work begins and remain until exterior work ends. Homeowner removal of a non-protected tree on a developed single-family lot generally does not require a permit, but commercial and infill projects do.
Each unlawfully removed protected tree carries a criminal fine of $2,000 (Class C misdemeanor), and civil penalties up to $1,200 per diameter inch of canopy removed (up from $300 before April 2025). Replacement planting is also required.
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Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Tarrant County.
See how other cities in Tarrant County handle tree removal & heritage trees.
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