Tree removal permit rules in Wayne County, MI β sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances β list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Tree removal on private property in most Wayne County cities does not require a permit, but street trees and landmark trees do. Emerald ash borer has forced removal of thousands of ash trees across the county since 2002.
Tree removal rules in Wayne County, Michigan vary by municipality. Most cities do not require a permit to remove trees on private residential property, except when a tree is designated as a heritage or landmark tree, is in a historic district, or is part of a required landscape buffer under site-plan approval. Street trees in the public right-of-way require a removal permit from the local forestry department or DPW; in Detroit this is handled by the General Services Department. Subdivisions, homeowners associations, and new-construction site plans often have private tree preservation requirements that survive the original development. Wayne County has been a center of the emerald ash borer infestation since the invasive pest was first identified in Canton Township in 2002, and tens of thousands of ash trees have been removed countywide. Ash wood, firewood, and nursery stock cannot be moved out of the federal quarantine area. Dead, diseased, or hazardous trees posing a public risk can be cited under local blight ordinances and must be removed at the owner's expense. Stump grinding may be required to complete the removal.
Contact your local code enforcement office for specific penalty information.
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See how Wayne County's tree removal & heritage trees rules stack up against other locations.
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