Monroe Township (Middlesex County), NJ Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

Chapter 97 of the Monroe Township Code, Tree Preservation, restricts cutting or removal of any tree on any lands within the Township unless done in accordance with the chapter (§ 97-4). Under § 97-5(A), the permit threshold is two and one half inches for street trees and four inches caliper for any other tree. The Conservation Officer issues permits. Where removal is for construction needing a building permit, no building permit issues until the applicant obtains any permit required under the chapter. For trees tied to a Planning Board or Zoning Board of Adjustment application, the permit and the replacement requirements are a condition of approval. A private party removing a tree from Township public property outside a development application needs Shade Tree Commission approval.

The application goes to the Conservation Officer with the applicant and owner names and addresses and a Tree Removal and Replacement Plan showing each tree to be removed by assigned number and caliper, trees to remain, replacement trees and a limit of disturbance line. For clearing greater than three acres, a representative 5% sampling of the wooded area is inventoried, and all Specimen Trees are shown. Removing a Specimen Tree needs the Conservation Officer's written recommendation and Township Council approval. Fees follow Chapter 39, in addition to replacement obligations or in-lieu contributions, and each permit is limited to one year from issuance.

Exemptions in § 97-5(D) cover trees on land actually used as a nursery, garden center or orchard, trees removed under a DEP-approved management plan, and working-farm clearing under a soil conservation plan, with replacement waived if the land is farmed for a minimum of five years. Section 97-7 requires replacement trees by size: one tree greater than 2 1/2" for street trees, or 4" and up to 8" for others, is replaced by 1 tree of 2" to 2 1/2" caliper or $300.00. Section 97-8 allows hazard trees verified by a NJ LTE to come down with no fee or replacement, and sets no-replacement clearing limits for new residential lots.