Stafford Township, NJ Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

The Tree Ordinance, Chapter 194, was amended in its entirety on 6-27-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-21. Section 194-4A bars anyone, including the property owner, from removing or destroying any tree on land within the Township without a permit, unless the property has an exemption under the chapter. Under § 194-3 the chapter applies to lands that are the subject of a construction permit for a new residence, addition, minor or major subdivision, or minor or major site plan approval. Applications are filed with the Department of Community Development and Planning for any street tree with a DBH of 2.5 inches or more and any non-street tree with a DBH of six inches or more. The filing fee for new residential construction is $25 per building lot, and $25 per acre for nonresidential development. Where building work is involved, a tree clearing permit is required for all work within rights-of-way, easements and stormwater management areas, a separate permit is required for each lot, and removal of trees within natural habitat buffer areas is prohibited under § 130-50.

Section 194-6 sets replacement. Replacement trees must be native to Ocean County under the Rutgers COOP Native Tree List, carry a minimum DBH of 1.5 inches, be planted within 12 months of removal and be monitored for two years. The table scales with trunk size: one replacement tree for a DBH from 2.5 inches for street trees, or six inches for other trees, up to 12.99 inches; two for 13 to 22.99 inches; three for 23 to 32.99 inches; four for 33 inches or greater; and five for a Tree of Significance, which the Township reserves the right to refuse to remove. A homeowner triggers replacement by removing more than three trees per acre in categories 1, 2 or 3 combined, or any one tree in category 4 or 5, within a five-year period. If trees cannot go on the property, the applicant plants them in a separate area the Township approves or pays $300 per tree removed into a tree planting fund.

Section 194-7 exempts work needed to maintain a lawfully existing structure, right-of-way, field, park or garden; tree farms, nurseries, fruit orchards and garden centers; approved forest stewardship plans; NJDEP or EPA approved clean-ups; and approved game management. Nuisance trees, meaning dead, dying, diseased, structure-damaging or view-blocking trees, can be removed with no fee or replacement requirement.