Lawrence, MA Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Lawrence, MA, sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances, list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Key Facts
- Removal authority
- board of park commissioners only
- Governing section
- § 12.04.090
- Related offense
- injuring city trees, § 12.04.070
- Commons-specific ban
- § 12.04.080
- Max general penalty
- $300.00 per offense (§ 1.16.10)
- Private-property trees
- no permit process in this chapter
Summary
Lawrence vests control over shade trees on city streets and ways in the board of park commissioners, not individual property owners, under Municipal Code § 12.04.090. The board alone holds 'the right to remove' street trees, while a separate section makes it a punishable offense to injure, deface or destroy any city tree.
12.04.090 - Care and control of shade trees. The care and control of all shade trees in the streets and ways of the city, with the right to remove the same, is vested in the board of park commissioners.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 8).
Full Breakdown
' No private party, contractor, or utility can decide to cut down a street tree in Lawrence; only the park commissioners hold that power, and the ordinance carries forward almost verbatim from prior code § 24-20. 080 separately bars injuring, defacing or destroying 'any shade or ornamental tree, shrub or any plant or fixture' on the Commons specifically. 00 per offense under General Laws c. 40 § 21D, with each day a violation continues counted as a separate offense. 090 reaches only trees standing in the city's own streets and ways.
Violations & Fines
Cutting, injuring or removing a city street tree without the park commissioners' approval, or damaging any tree, post or ornamental fixture set up by the city, is punishable under the Code's general penalty clause, § 1.16.10, capped at $300.00 per offense, with every additional day the violation continues counted separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who decides whether a street tree can be removed in Lawrence?
What happens if I cut down a city tree without permission in Lawrence?
Does Lawrence regulate trees on my own private property?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lawrence
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