New Braunfels, TX Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in New Braunfels, TX, sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances, list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Key Facts
- Replacement ratio
- 50% of removed tree's circumference
- Minimum size
- 1.5-inch diameter replacement trees
- Planting deadline
- Within 12 months of removal
- Alternative
- Pay into tree mitigation fund
- Max fine
- $2,000 per violation
Summary
New Braunfels requires replacement trees or a mitigation-fund payment whenever a protected or heritage tree is legally removed.
The planning director may require as a condition for approval that replacement trees be planted... Replacement trees shall have a diameter of at least one and one-half inches. Tree replacement must occur within 12 months of the removal of a protected or heritage tree... Tree mitigation fund option. In lieu of meeting the minimum tree replacement standards of this section, a payment to the tree mitigation fund may be provided in accordance with appendix D.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 36).
Full Breakdown
When the planning director approves removal of a protected or heritage tree, the city can condition that approval on planting replacement trees from the approved plant list, sized to at least a 1.5-inch diameter and installed within 12 months of removal. The number required is based on trunk circumference: replacements must add up to at least 50 percent of the removed tree's circumference in inches. Any tree that dies within its first 12 months must be replaced again until it survives a full year. Property owners who can't fit the required trees on site may instead pay into the city's tree mitigation fund under Appendix D in lieu of planting.
Violations & Fines
Removing a protected or heritage tree without a permit, or violating any tree-protection provision, is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $2,000; separate removal-permit violations draw the fine set in Appendix D.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I always have to replant trees after removing a protected tree?
What size do replacement trees have to be?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in New Braunfels
Texas rules heatmap·Compare New Braunfels to another location·View the Texas landscaping rules overview
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