Summit County, OH Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Summit County, OH, sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances, list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Key Facts
- Regulated area
- Riparian Setback under Ch. 937 only
- Countywide tree permit
- None; township/city zoning applies
- Damaged/diseased trees
- Removable without SWCD approval
- Debris rule
- Logs/branches over 6 in. anchored or removed
- Violation of Sec. 937.07
- Minor misdemeanor, Sec. 501.99
- Remedy
- SWCD-approved restoration plan
Summary
Summit County has no countywide tree-removal permit; regulation exists only inside the streamside Riparian Setback under Code Chapter 937. There, damaged or diseased trees may be removed without prior approval, but felled logs and branches over 6 inches in diameter must be anchored to the shore or hauled out of the 100-year floodplain, per Sec. 937.06(a)(2).
(2) Removal of damaged or diseased trees. Damaged or diseased trees may be removed. Because of the potential for felled logs and branches to damage downstream properties and/or block ditches or otherwise exacerbate flooding, logs and branches resulting from the removal of damaged or diseased trees that are greater than 6 inches in diameter, shall be anchored to the shore or removed from the 100-year floodplain.
Full Breakdown
C. Chapter 519, or, inside an incorporated city, that city's own code. Inside the Riparian Setback established by Code Chapter 937, however, the county limits what can happen to trees. Sec. 07(e) confines any modification of natural vegetation in the setback to conservation maintenance the landowner deems necessary to control noxious weeds, plantings consistent with the chapter, disturbances the county has approved, and the passive use of landscaping or lawns that already existed when the chapter passed; a landowner is never required to plant anything and may instead let the area return to natural succession.
The one broad, by-right exception is removal of damaged or diseased trees, defined in Sec. 04(c) as trees with a split trunk, broken top, heart rot, insect or fungus damage, an undercut or failing root system, or any other condition putting the tree in imminent danger of falling or being uprooted into a stream or structure. Sec. 06(a)(2) lets a landowner remove such a tree without prior Summit Soil and Water Conservation District approval, but because felled logs and branches can wash downstream, block ditches, or worsen flooding, any resulting log or branch over 6 inches in diameter must be anchored to the shore or physically removed from the 100-year floodplain.
Violations & Fines
Removing a healthy tree, or clearing vegetation beyond the conservation-maintenance and damaged/diseased-tree exceptions, violates Sec. 937.07's prohibited-uses list. Sec. 937.02(c) makes that a minor misdemeanor punishable under Code Sec. 501.99, and the offender must restore the Riparian Setback under a plan approved by the Summit Soil and Water Conservation District. Leaving oversized branches or logs in the floodplain after removing a damaged tree also breaches the anchoring/removal duty in Sec. 937.06(a)(2).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to remove a tree on my Summit County property?
Can I remove a diseased or storm-damaged tree in the setback?
What must I do with the wood after removing a damaged tree?
Can I cut down a healthy tree in the Riparian Setback for a better view?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Summit County
Compare Summit County to another location·View the Ohio landscaping rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.