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

Section 336-9 of the Freehold Township Code prohibits any person from injuring, girdling, removing or destroying a tree, or undertaking action with a substantial likelihood of destroying or substantially harming a tree, except upon issuance of a tree removal permit. TREE is defined in § 336-8 as any woody perennial plant with a four-inch diameter at breast height, measured four feet six inches above the ground. Under § 336-10, the application goes to the Township Clerk with a prepayment of the application fee set in Chapter 150, § 150-31, which scales from $100 for one to two trees up to $80 per tree for 21 or more trees; no prepayment is required for trees the Forester finds diseased, dead or a danger to public health or safety.

The application must include a diagram of the parcel, the location of proposed structures and driveways, identification of all heritage or historic trees with canopy spread and condition rating, designation of diseased or dangerous trees, and a description of what will be planted to replace what is removed. The Clerk refers a complete application to the Township Forester within two days, and the Forester must inspect the site and issue a written decision granting or denying the permit within 30 days, weighing 15 listed factors under § 336-10G including erosion effects, wildlife habitat, economic hardship, and whether the tree is worthy of preservation.

Section 336-13 exempts commercial orchards, tree nurseries, utility line-clearance pruning, standard silvicultural pruning, and any tree on a home site (within 100 feet of a single-family dwelling foundation, excluding the 25 feet nearest a right-of-way) or modified home site (50 feet), though heritage or historic trees still require a permit even within those exemptions. Removed trees must be replaced under the schedule in Article II's Appendix A, which the code lists separately from the removal permit fee.