Troy, MI Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Troy, MI, sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances, list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Key Facts
- Permit issuer
- Director of Parks and Recreation
- Governs
- Streets, parks, parkways, City land
- Private-land trigger
- >25% of trees cleared in 5 years
- Excavation buffer
- 5 feet from any tree, permit required
- Development-site replacement
- 50% (Woodland) / 100% (Landmark) DBH
- Default penalty
- Up to $500 fine and/or 90 days jail
Summary
Troy's Tree Regulations chapter bars anyone from trimming, spraying or removing a tree in a public place, street right-of-way or park without a permit from the Parks and Recreation Director. On private parcels awaiting development, clearing more than 25 percent of a lot's trees in five years also needs the Director's prior approval.
3. Permits for Tree Planting, Care, Removal. (A) Preserve or Remove. No person shall trim, spray, preserve or remove trees, other plants and grassy areas in public places without first filing an application and procuring a permit from the Director. ... (D) Tree Protection Prior to Development. To prevent the unnecessary destruction of trees on land where a building permit or subdivision approval has not been issued, the destruction within any five (5) year period, of more than twenty-five (25) percent of the trees on any parcel of real property within the City, without prior approval of the director shall be prohibited.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 28, Section 3(A) of the Troy City Code makes it unlawful for any person to trim, spray, preserve or remove trees, other plants or grassy areas in public places, meaning streets, parkways, parks and other City-owned or controlled land, without first filing an application and obtaining a permit from the Director of Parks and Recreation. The application must state the number and kind of trees involved, the treatment proposed, and the condition of neighboring trees, and the Director issues the permit only after finding the proposed action necessary and the workmanship satisfactory.
A separate rule in Section 5(D), "Tree Protection Prior to Development," reaches private land: on any parcel without an issued building permit or subdivision approval, destroying more than 25 percent of the trees on that parcel within any five-year period is prohibited without the Director's prior approval. Excavation and driveway work also can't come within five feet of an existing tree without a written Director's permit, and any tree within six feet of such work must be boxed and protected. 9 requires a Tree Protection Plan that complies with Chapter 28.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 28 sets no fine of its own for removing a public-place tree without a permit, so the Code's default penalty in Chapter 1, Section 1.13, applies: a fine up to $500 and costs, up to 90 days imprisonment, or both, with each day of an ongoing violation counted as a separate offense. Removal handled through a development site plan is instead enforced as a Zoning Ordinance violation under Article 3, and unmitigated removal can hold up site plan approval.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in a Troy park or right-of-way?
Can I clear trees on my vacant lot before I build?
How close can I dig to a tree in Troy?
What if the tree I want to remove is a protected Landmark Tree on a development site?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Troy
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Tree Removal & Heritage Trees in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Oakland County handle tree removal & heritage trees.