Pawtucket, RI Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

Section 371-10 of Chapter 371 governs tree removal tied to construction activity: during development, redevelopment, razing or renovating, no trees may be cut, damaged, destroyed or removed except by a specific permit. Every tree removed, destroyed or severely damaged must be replaced at the permittee's expense, and the total caliper of replacement trees can never be less than the total caliper removed, using two-and-one-half- to six-inch caliper stock or as the City Forester directs. If there is not enough planting space within the contract area, replacements go within a quarter mile of it, unless the City Forester grants a special permit exception.

Any tree within thirty feet of an excavation or construction project must be protected for the length of the project by a substantial fence, frame or box at least four feet high and eight feet square or an equivalent, keeping equipment, materials, chemicals and debris outside the barrier. Beyond construction removals, § 371-10C makes it unlawful to intentionally damage, cut, carve or transplant any tree, attach ropes, wires, nails or signs to it, expose it to harmful substances, or burn near it without a written permit from the City Forester, and § 371-10D and E bar depositing fill or impervious material that would choke a tree's root system or well without a permit.

A related pathway, § 371-14H(2), separately requires a permit before removing a public tree for construction or any other reason, with the City Forester able to condition the permit on replacement at the applicant's cost.