Scranton, PA Tree Protection: Tree Removal Permits (2026)

Scranton's tree-removal-permit pathway is concentrated in Chapter 434, Article I (Trees) of the City Code (https://ecode360.com/11608793) and Chapter 358 (Shade Tree Commission) (https://ecode360.com/11603607). Chapter 434 Article I states: 'It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, corporation or city department to remove any tree without first obtaining permission from the Shade Tree Commission and/or City Forester.' By its scope provision, the ordinance applies to street, highway, lane, alley or avenue trees solely within the right-of-way and to trees on public parks and all other grounds for which the City of Scranton has record ownership. The five-member Shade Tree Commission, established under Chapter 358 and appointed by the Mayor with City Council consent for five-year terms, sits with the City Forester (currently Tony Santoli) and meets four times a year. Permit applications for right-of-way tree removal go through the Bureau of Code Administration. Standalone permits for routine removal of a dead, diseased, or hazardous tree on a wholly private residential lot outside the right-of-way are not required by the Code. Trees conditioned for preservation by the City Planning Commission or Zoning Hearing Board within an approved subdivision or site plan are protected by those conditions and require approval from the conditioning body. Land-development projects disturbing one acre or more must comply with the PA DEP NPDES Construction Stormwater General Permit (PAG-02) under 25 Pa. Code Chapter 102, administered through the Lackawanna County Conservation District (https://www.lccd.org/). Trees within PennDOT state-route right-of-way (e.g., Routes 6, 11, 307) require PennDOT highway-occupancy permit coordination under 67 Pa. Code § 441.