Mount Vernon, NY Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

City of Mount Vernon Code § 252-5A requires that "an application for a tree removal permit is to be made by the owner" to the Department of Public Works, and gives the City "advance notice of at least 20 business days to conduct an inspection" before removal. " The application itself must list the applicant's and property's address, the total number and DBH of trees to be removed, which of them qualify as "significant," endangered, heritage, or memorial trees, the purpose of removal, a sketch or photos, and proof of any other required permits (§ 252-5B(1)-(7)).

Every application must also show retention of a licensed contractor, since § 252-5B(8) bars anyone from felling, cutting, trimming, or removing a tree for hire in the City, where the cut is two inches or more thick, without a license. on weekdays absent a weekend permit (§ 252-5B(9)). No permit is needed at all for a tree under 10 inches DBH, a documented emergency threatening life or property, or a tree already found infested under § 252-4A(3)(b), per the exemptions in § 252-4B(1). The Building Department and DPW decide whether to grant, deny, or condition the permit after the City Tree Surgeon inspects and the Tree Advisory Board weighs in (§ 252-5C), and stumps must be ground to six inches below grade and covered (§ 252-4B(3)).