Tree removal permit rules in Macomb County, MI — sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances — list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Macomb County government does not require a permit to remove a tree on private residential land. Tree-removal ordinances, where they exist, are enacted by individual cities, villages, and townships. The County's only related control is soil-erosion permitting when stump removal is part of a regulated land disturbance.
There is no countywide tree-removal or tree-preservation permit in Macomb County for private residential parcels. Michigan municipalities that regulate tree removal (through woodland-preservation, replacement, or significant-tree ordinances) do so at the city/village/township level, so whether you need a permit to cut down a tree depends entirely on your local jurisdiction. The one county-level touchpoint is grading: the Macomb County Soil Erosion Ordinance states that a permit must be obtained 'prior to the start of any work, including construction of access roads, driveways, tree stumps and shrub removal, grubbing or grading' when the project is a regulated earth change. That earth-change trigger, not tree count, is what the County controls. County-park trees are managed by Parks & Recreation, and drain-easement trees
The County issues no penalty for simply removing a private tree. If stump or shrub removal is part of a regulated earth change and no soil-erosion permit was obtained, the Public Works Commissioner can treat it as a violation of
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Macomb County's tree removal & heritage trees rules stack up against other locations.
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