Tree removal permit rules in Galveston County, TX — sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances — list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Galveston County cannot regulate tree removal on private land. Rules depend on your city. In League City, removing a protected tree needs a Tree Disposition Permit and mitigation, though owners of a legally conforming single-family home are exempt on their own lot.
Texas counties lack zoning power, so unincorporated Galveston County (Bolivar Peninsula, Bacliff, San Leon) sets no tree-removal permit. Cities do. League City's UDC Chapter 125, Article 7, requires a Tree Disposition Permit before subjecting a protected tree to removal or a tree impact activity. A key exception: the owner of a legally conforming single-family residence may remove any tree on that property without a permit and without mitigation. Galveston regulates tree removal through its Land Development Regulations (Division 9.500) for regulated properties. Permits may issue without mitigation when a tree is dead, dying, hazardous, or an emergency.
League City fines reckless removal of a protected tree without a permit as a misdemeanor up to $500 per day, plus restitution to the Reforestation Fund. Unincorporated county land has no removal penalty.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Galveston County's tree removal & heritage trees rules stack up against other locations.
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