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

Town Code § 329-6 bars any person other than the Tree Warden from planting trees or shrubs of any size on Town property, or removing or otherwise disturbing any tree located on Town property or rights-of-way, without first obtaining a permit from the Warden. The same permit requirement covers attaching ropes, wires, nails, signs or other objects to a tree or shrub on Town property, and digging tunnels or trenches, storing construction vehicles or materials, or changing grade within a tree's root zone on Town land.

No fee is charged for the permit, but § 329-4(A)(3)(e) requires the Warden to first obtain the applicant's written agreement to comply with the chapter and the Town's forestry management plan before issuing it. The chapter, defined at § 329-5, extends full power and authority over trees, plants and shrubs on Town property and rights-of-way. Before removing a Town tree, the Warden must post a notice on it at least 10 days ahead under § 329-4(A)(3)(d), unless the tree is an immediate public hazard. This permit scheme governs only Town-owned trees and rights-of-way; it does not require a permit to remove trees on one's own private property outside the nuisance-tree process in § 329-7.