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

Section 287-4 makes it unlawful to cut, break, trim, remove or otherwise injure, deface or destroy vegetation, tree posts or tree guards anywhere the City has jurisdiction without first obtaining a permit from the Department of Recreation, Natural Resources and Culture. 5 inches or more, or a non-street tree with a DBH of 6 inches or more, must submit a Tree Permit application, and no tree may come down until City officials review and approve it. 99 inches requires three trees for $75; and 33 inches or more requires four trees for $100.

Replacement trees must go in within 12 months, be monitored by the applicant for two years, and cannot be planted in temporary pots. Where the official determines replacement trees cannot be planted on-site, the applicant must either plant in an approved separate area or pay $300 per tree removed into a City tree-planting fund (§ 287-3(C)). Exemptions under § 287-14 cover residents removing fewer than four Category 1-3 trees per acre in a rolling five-year period, active tree farms and nurseries, approved forestry or habitat plans, and hazard trees, which may be removed with no fee or replacement requirement at all.