Tree removal permit rules in Elkhart County, IN — sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances — list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
You may remove trees on your own land in unincorporated Elkhart County without a county permit. Indiana has no statewide tree-protection law and the county has no removal ordinance. Only the cities of Elkhart and Goshen regulate their curb-strip trees.
Elkhart County does not regulate tree removal on private property in unincorporated areas, because Indiana passes no statewide tree law and grants counties no landscaping authority over private yards, so an owner near Middlebury, Bristol, or the farmland toward Wakarusa may clear trees, including mature oaks, without approval. Regulation exists only inside the cities: Elkhart's Forestry Division, a long-standing Tree City USA program, controls trees in the public right-of-way, and Goshen's Department of Environmental Resilience manages its street trees. Parcels along the St. Joseph or Elkhart River or an adjoining wetland can trigger federal Clean Water Act or state floodplain permitting if removal disturbs a regulated wetland or streambank, but that is separate from any tree rule.
None from the county for clearing your own trees. Removing an Elkhart or Goshen right-of-way tree without authorization violates city rules. Disturbing a regulated riverfront wetland can draw state or federal enforcement.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Elkhart County's tree removal & heritage trees rules stack up against other locations.
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