Tree replacement in the City of Erie is administered by the City Arborist under Article 165 (Urban Forest Committee) for street and municipal-tree removals and by the Erie Zoning Ordinance for development-site removals. Article 165 expressly contemplates 'Removal and Replacement Permit' procedures at Article 165.07(c), with the $50 administrative fee covering the combined removal-and-replacement application. Replacement species are typically drawn from the City's approved street-tree list β predominantly native or proven non-invasive species suited to northwestern PA.
Erie's tree-replacement framework operates at two levels. For street and municipal-tree removals authorized under Article 165 (https://ecode360.com/33834453), Article 165.07(c) is titled 'Removal and Replacement Permit' and combines the removal authorization with replacement-planting requirements. The $50 administrative fee covers the combined application, and the City Arborist within the Department of Public Works, Property and Parks specifies replacement species, planting location, and standard. Replacement species are typically drawn from the City's approved street-tree list, predominantly native or proven non-invasive species suited to urban conditions in northwestern Pennsylvania (e.g., oaks, maples, hackberry, serviceberry, and disease-resistant elm cultivars). For tree removal on land-development or subdivision sites, the Erie Zoning Ordinance (https://ecode360.com/ER3969) may impose tree-inventory and replacement-planting obligations as conditions of subdivision or site-plan approval. Common practice in Pennsylvania municipalities of Erie's size applies a sliding-scale replacement requirement based on diameter at breast height (DBH): roughly 1:1 for smaller trees, 2:1 for mid-size, and 3:1 for mature specimens, with replacement caliper of 2 to 2.5 inches and a one- to two-year survivability warranty. Where on-site planting is infeasible, cash-in-lieu contributions to a City tree fund may be accepted at the City Arborist's discretion. Pennsylvania's PA DCNR Community Forestry program supports Erie's Tree City USA designation, which requires per-capita tree expenditures and active community-forestry programming.
Failure to install required replacement trees within the time specified by the City Arborist permit under Article 165.07(c) or under a land-development plan approval is a code violation, with Article 165 fines up to $300 plus default-of-payment imprisonment up to 30 days, and possible withholding of the Certificate of Occupancy on related construction. Survivability-bond forfeiture (where required at the time of land-development plan approval) covers the cost of re-planting if replacement trees die within the warranty period. Persistent non-compliance can trigger revocation of related permits and referral for injunctive relief.
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See how Erie's tree replacement requirements rules stack up against other locations.
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