Middletown, OH Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

05 requires that, in the BC District, all deciduous trees measuring at least six inches in diameter at breast height (DBH) be preserved during site development unless they fall under one of five listed exemptions: trees within public rights-of-way, utility easements, or a temporary construction easement; trees within the building footprint of a proposed structure or within 12 feet of its perimeter; trees that are damaged, diseased, over mature, interfere with utility lines, or are an inappropriate or undesirable species for the location; trees removed for necessary drainage purposes; and trees within required vehicular use areas that cannot be preserved for use as required landscaping.

05(b)(2): a tree under six inches DBH counts as zero credited trees, six to eight inches counts as one, eight to twelve inches counts as two, twelve to eighteen inches counts as three, nineteen to twenty-four inches counts as four, and anything over twenty-five inches DBH counts as five trees, though credit toward buffering specifically requires the tree to sit within the required buffer area. Trees designated for preservation must be shown on the site plans submitted with the development application, and the Development Code Administrator requires that a tree preservation zone be marked at the tree's drip line with fencing and signage; no grading, material stacking, equipment parking, or construction traffic is permitted inside that zone once marked.

05(a) to preserve natural vegetative areas to the maximum extent possible through the placement of buildings, streets, and parking areas. Violations of the Development Code, including unauthorized removal inside a marked preservation zone, are processed under Chapter 1228, which allows civil citations of $150 for a first offense and $250 for each subsequent citation within three years, or criminal prosecution as a third-degree misdemeanor on a first offense and a second-degree misdemeanor on repeat offenses, with each day of a continuing violation treated as a separate offense.