Montgomery County issues no tree-removal permit for private property. Permitting, where it exists, is municipal. Public shade/street trees are controlled by a borough or township Shade Tree Commission under the PA Shade Tree Act, which must give public notice before removing a public tree.
There is no county-issued permit to remove a tree, and a healthy or hazardous tree on your own lot generally needs no permit at all. Permitting authority is municipal and applies mainly to trees in the public right-of-way. Under the Pennsylvania Shade Tree Act, a borough or township may appoint a Shade Tree Commission with 'exclusive and absolute custody and control' over public shade trees, including the power to remove them, and the Act requires the commission to give public notice (published for at least two weeks) before it removes or materially changes trees on a highway. Some municipalities also adopt tree-conservation, woodland, or steep-slope ordinances under the Municipalities Planning Code that require a permit or replacement plantings when significant
No county penalty. Removing a public shade tree without commission approval, or violating a municipal tree-conservation ordinance, is enforced by the municipality, typically through fines and mandatory replacement plantings.
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Montgomery County, PA
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See how Montgomery County's tree removal permits rules stack up against other locations.
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