Somerville, MA Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

Section 12-112 bars removing a significant tree from private property without a tree permit from the tree warden. A property owner or agent applies on a form the tree warden specifies; the tree warden must date-stamp the filing and complete review within thirty business days of a completed application, and if that deadline passes without action (and no fee or replanting waiver was requested), the permit is deemed issued. The application must include a plan showing the location, species and DBH of every tree on the property and mark which are to be removed, plus details of any replacement trees.

There is no fee to apply. If a significant tree is removed, the plan must show replacement trees with total caliper at least equal to the removed tree's DBH, or the owner may pay the street tree stabilization fund in lieu of planting, based on a cost schedule set by the senior urban forestry and landscape planner. Owner-occupants of a one-, two- or three-family home get a 90% reduction in replanting or payment requirements on request, without a hearing, though that reduction is revoked if they stop residing there within eighteen months.

Applicants can request a waiver of replanting or payment, heard by the tree warden (often at an Urban Forestry Committee meeting) within sixty days, and if approved a permit issues within ten business days of the hearing's close. No permit is needed in an emergency posing immediate danger, or to remove a dead, dying, or hazardous tree with the tree warden's written authorization.