Tree removal permit rules in Passaic County, NJ — sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances — list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Under New Jersey's MS4 stormwater mandate, every Passaic County municipality had to adopt a tree removal/replacement ordinance by May 1, 2024. Removing trees over the local size threshold typically requires a permit and replacement of the tree — the exact rules are municipal.
New Jersey has no single statewide private-tree-cutting ban, but NJDEP's 2022–24 stormwater (MS4) permit conditions required all municipalities — including those in Passaic County — to adopt and enforce a community-wide tree removal and replacement ordinance by May 1, 2024. NJDEP's model ordinance triggers a Tree Removal Application for removing a street tree of 2.5-inch DBH or more, or a non-street tree of 6-inch DBH or more, and requires replacement trees (or a payment into a municipal tree fund). Passaic County itself does not regulate cutting on private lots; check your town's adopted ordinance. Separately, removing riparian-zone vegetation in a NJDEP flood hazard area is regulated under N.J.A.C. 7:13.
Municipal, per each town's MS4-driven ordinance — typically a fine per unlawfully removed tree plus mandatory replacement or payment into the municipal tree bank.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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