New Britain, CT Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

Section 17-91 is the removal-specific companion to New Britain's legacy tree program: while § 17-88 handles cataloging, § 17-91 governs the narrower act of taking a legacy tree down entirely. The text is short and direct: the removal of trees identified as legacy trees shall require the approval of the tree warden. The tree warden, functionally the Board of Public Works under § 17-86, decides whether removal is warranted, weighing the tree's designated legacy status against condition, hazard and other factors it uses across the tree ordinance.

A party who disagrees with the tree warden's decision, whether denied a removal or cited for removing without approval, may appeal through a written petition requesting a hearing and setting forth a brief statement of the grounds therefore within five business days of the postmarked notice of potential violation. The director of public works then sets a hearing date and time, gives the petitioner written notice, lets the petitioner be heard, and afterward either sustains or reverses the tree warden's decision; there is no further administrative appeal layer written into the section itself.

The financial consequence of skipping this process is set out in the neighboring § 17-93(d): removing a legacy tree on public property without prior tree warden approval requires paying the city two times the tree's assessed value, a figure the tree warden itself determines. An affirmative defense exists elsewhere in the article for a super hazardous tree removed on an emergency basis when immediate action cannot be deferred and the hazard cannot be secured by reasonable measures.