Wicomico County, MD Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

Wicomico County treats large-scale tree removal as a regulated activity under Ch. 126, Forest Conservation, not as a free-standing tree-cutting permit. Section 126-2 requires anyone applying for a building permit, subdivision plat, stormwater management plan, project plan, or grading or sediment control permit on a parcel of 40,000 square feet or larger to file a forest conservation plan with the Department of Planning, Zoning and Community Development. Section 126-6 spells out what that means in practice: the applicant must submit both a forest stand delineation, mapping existing tree cover, streams, floodplains and soils, and a forest conservation plan for the specific lot, and must use Department-approved methods, drawn from the county's Forest Conservation Manual, to protect the trees that are kept during construction.

The Department has 30 calendar days to review a forest stand delineation under § 126-9, extendable by 15 days for weather or other agencies' review. Smaller residential projects can skip the full process: § 126-4 exempts construction on a single lot that cuts no more than 40,000 square feet of forest, or a house built for the owner's immediate family under the same 40,000-square-foot cap, provided the owner files a declaration of intent under § 126-5 promising no further regulated activity on the lot for five years.

Anyone who clears forest without the required plan or declaration is not automatically excused: the Department can require retroactive compliance with retention and reforestation standards and assess penalties for the unauthorized cutting.