Worcester County, MD Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Worcester County, MD, sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances, list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Key Facts
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Worcester County only (§ NR 1-401(b))
- Plan trigger
- Subdivision, site plan, grading or sediment permit on forty thousand square feet or greater
- Forest definition
- Trees covering ten thousand square feet or greater
- Unlawful clearing penalty
- Thirty cents per square foot, billed to the owner
- Lien deadline
- Unpaid after ninety days becomes a lien
- Appeal
- Board of Zoning Appeals, then Circuit Court
Summary
In unincorporated Worcester County, Maryland, clearing forest cover in violation of the Worcester County Forest Conservation Law is a civil infraction. After an admission or conviction, the department assesses thirty cents per square foot of forest unlawfully cleared against the property owner, and an unpaid assessment becomes a lien after ninety days.
(a) Civil infraction. ... Violations of the provisions of this Subtitle or failure to comply with any of its requirements shall constitute a civil infraction. ... (e) Stop work order. The department may issue a stop work order against a person who violates a provision of this ordinance or a regulation, order, approved forest conservation plan, or maintenance agreement. The department may also seek an injunction requiring the person to cease violation of these regulations and take corrective action to restore or reforest an area. ... (g) Additional penalties. In the case of the admission of or conviction on a civil infraction issued for the unlawful clearing of forest cover, the department shall assess a penalty of thirty cents per square foot for any forest cover unlawfully cleared. The assessment shall be levied against the property owner of the land so cleared. Failure of the property owner to pay the assessed penalty within ninety days of the date of the assessment shall result in the assessment becoming a lien on said property in the same manner as property taxes. The penalty shall be paid to the county and shall be deposited in the Forest Conservation Fund.
Full Breakdown
The Worcester County Forest Conservation Law, Subtitle NR1:IV of the Public Local Laws, ties tree protection to land development rather than to individual trees. Under § NR 1-403(a) it applies to a subdivision plan, a site plan application, or a grading or sediment control permit on areas of forty thousand square feet or greater, and § NR 1-404 requires that applicant to file a forest stand delineation and a forest conservation plan. The law defines a forest as a biological community dominated by trees covering ten thousand square feet or greater.
Section NR 1-403(b) lists the exemptions. Residential activity on a lot that legally existed when the law took effect is exempt if it does not cut, clear or grade more than twenty thousand square feet of forest and is covered by a declaration of intent. A dwelling for the owner or a child of the owner gets the same twenty thousand square foot limit. Cutting trees to establish property lines or survey control is exempt if the cut does not exceed ten feet in width. A declaration of intent is effective for five years. Activities in areas governed by the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Critical Area Protection Law fall under that law instead, including the minimum 100-foot buffer from tidal water in § NR 3-116(c)(2).
The department enforces under § NR 1-418. It can issue a stop work order, seek an injunction requiring the violator to restore or reforest an area, and must notify the Maryland Department of Natural Resources within fifteen days of starting any enforcement action. The owner or lessee, and any architect, builder, contractor or agent who takes part in the violation, can each be found guilty of a separate offense. Under § NR 1-419 a person who alleges an error in the application of the law appeals to the Board of Zoning Appeals and then to the Circuit Court.
Violations & Fines
Violating the Forest Conservation Law or failing to meet any of its requirements is a civil infraction. On an admission or conviction for unlawful clearing of forest cover, the department assesses thirty cents per square foot against the property owner, and the money goes to the Forest Conservation Fund. County civil infraction fines cannot exceed five hundred dollars, or one thousand dollars for a repeat offense, and each day of a continuing infraction counts separately. The County can also revoke permits and plan approvals held by the offender.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Worcester County require a permit to cut down a tree on a single lot?
What does unlawful forest clearing cost?
Who can be held responsible besides the landowner?
Does the law apply inside Ocean City, Berlin, Snow Hill or Pocomoke City?
How do I appeal a department decision?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Worcester County
Compare Worcester County to another location·View the Maryland landscaping rules overview
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