Tree-removal permits are municipal, not county-level (street trees need a permit under the PA Shade Tree Act). Lancaster County's distinctive land-protection authority is farmland preservation: it runs the nation's largest program under PA's Agricultural Area Security Law, permanently conserving productive farmland.
Lancaster County issues no tree-removal permits; those come from your municipality's shade-tree authority under the PA Shade Tree Act (53 P.S. §2811 et seq.), and right-of-way tree work requires a municipal permit (e.g., City of Lancaster Ch. 273; Manheim Township allows removing only declining or decayed right-of-way trees). Where the COUNTY genuinely acts on land protection is farmland preservation. Through its Agricultural Preserve Board, Lancaster County runs the nation's largest agricultural conservation-easement program under Pennsylvania's Agricultural Area Security Law (Act 43 of 1981, 3 P.S. §901 et seq.). The Commonwealth's declared policy is to conserve and protect agricultural lands, and easements purchased in an agricultural security area (a unit of 250+ acres) permanently keep farms in production and shield normal
Municipal tree permits: fines and replacement/restoration for unpermitted right-of-way removals. Farmland easements are perpetual deed restrictions enforced by the county Ag Preserve Board and state; breaching a preserved-farm easement is a civil matter.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Lancaster County has no backyard-composting ordinance. Home composting is allowed statewide and encouraged by PA DEP; nuisance limits (odor, rodents, setback...
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Lancaster County does not regulate artificial turf. Whether you may install synthetic lawn, and any impervious-coverage or stormwater limits, is set by your ...
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Lancaster County does not require or restrict native-plant landscaping. Whether a meadow or native garden is allowed depends on your municipality's grass/wee...
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Rainwater collection is legal statewide in Pennsylvania; neither Lancaster County nor the state restricts it, and PA DEP encourages rain barrels for stormwat...
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Lancaster County sets no watering schedule. Water-use restrictions in Pennsylvania come from the state Drought Task Force and PA DEP. Watering limits are vol...
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Lancaster County sets no weed ordinance; your municipality does (e.g., Lancaster City's six-inch limit). Statewide, Pennsylvania's Controlled Plants and Noxi...
See how Lancaster County's tree removal permits rules stack up against other locations.
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