New Haven, CT Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in New Haven, CT, sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances, list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Key Facts
- Scope
- Trees/plants inside city parks
- Requires
- Parks director's written permission
- Distinct from
- Sec. 18-34 street-tree rule
- Enforced by
- Parks dept & police
Summary
New Haven's park rules bar anyone from digging up, cutting, transplanting, or otherwise damaging any tree, shrub, or plant inside a city park without authorization: a separate rule from the street-tree ordinance.
Dig or remove any soil, rock, sand, stone, tree, shrub, plant, wood or other material, or make any excavation by tool, equipment, blasting or other means or agency.(iii)Construct or erect any building or structure for temporary use, or run or string any public service utility into, upon or across any park, except on special written permit from the director or his/her designee(s).(iv)Damage, cut, carve, mark, transplant or remove any plant, injure the bark, pick a flower or seed of any tree or plant, dig or otherwise disturb grass in any area, or in any other way injure the natural elements of any park area.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 31 | Zoning: Supplement 32).
Full Breakdown
Section 19-5(b)(5) protects trees and other plants specifically within city parks and recreational facilities under the parks department's jurisdiction: distinct from the street-tree protection in Sec. 18-34. It bars digging up or removing any tree, shrub, or plant, along with cutting, carving, marking, transplanting, injuring the bark, or otherwise damaging natural park elements, unless special written permission is obtained from the director. Violators are charged with a parks rules-of-conduct offense and, on conviction, are fined up to the maximum authorized by state statute or the Code, plus liability for the cost of any resulting damage.
Violations & Fines
A parks-conduct violation: conviction brings a fine up to the maximum set by state law or the Code, plus responsibility for the cost of repairing any damage caused.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I plant or remove trees inside a New Haven city park?
Is the park tree rule the same as New Haven's street tree ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in New Haven
Compare New Haven to another location·View the Connecticut landscaping rules overview
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Tree Removal & Heritage Trees in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle tree removal & heritage trees.