Tree-removal permitting in the City of Erie is administered by the City Arborist under Article 165 (Urban Forest Committee). No person may plant, maintain, remove, or disturb a tree or shrub on a street or municipal property without filing an application and procuring a permit from the City Arborist. Article 165.07(c) imposes a $50 administrative fee for each tree-removal application, waivable for City-confirmed hazardous removals. Maximum fine for violation is $300, with default of payment up to 30 days' imprisonment.
Erie's tree-removal-permit framework centers on Article 165 of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Erie (https://ecode360.com/33834453), which establishes the Urban Forest Committee and the position of City Arborist within the Department of Public Works, Property and Parks. Article 165 provides that 'no person shall plant, maintain, remove or disturb any tree or shrub on any street or municipal owned property without filing an application and procuring a permit from the City Arborist.' Article 165.07(c) imposes a $50 administrative fee for every tree-removal application, with the fee waivable when the City Arborist confirms the tree is hazardous. The Urban Forest Committee recommends staffing levels and policy direction to the Director of Public Works and supports Erie's Tree City USA designation. For trees on private property in a land-development context, Erie's Zoning Ordinance (https://ecode360.com/ER3969/document/742026631.pdf) may impose tree-inventory and replacement-plan obligations as conditions of subdivision or site-plan approval; removal of a tree shown as 'to be saved' on the approved plan requires plan amendment. Routine removal of a dead, diseased, or hazardous tree on a private residential lot is generally exempt from City permitting. Land-development projects with earth disturbance over 5,000 sq ft trigger PA DEP NPDES requirements under 25 Pa. Code Chapter 102 coordinated through the Erie County Conservation District.
Removing a street tree or municipal tree without the City Arborist permit required by Article 165.07 is a code violation. Article 165 violations carry fines up to $300, with default of payment punishable by imprisonment up to 30 days, plus restitution for the appraised value of the tree using ISA tree-appraisal methodology. Removal of a 'tree to be saved' under an approved land-development plan without plan amendment triggers stop-work orders and required replacement planting at an elevated ratio. Persistent or large-scale unpermitted clearing can trigger PA DEP enforcement under 25 Pa. Code Chapter 102.
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