9/15
  • Pages
  • Editions
01 Cover
02 Table of Contents
03 Summer Camp Scholarships
04 Celebrating Women's History Month
05 Livability Plan
06 Upcoming Events
07 Clean Up Saturdays
08 No Mow
09 Tree Permits
10 Curbside Collection
11 Tip of the Month
12 ARPA Assistance Programs
13 DPW Collections, Recycling, & Tree Plantings
14 Calendar & Announcements
15 Public Notices

Tree Work? Don't Forget the Permit

Planning some tree work on your mature trees? Remember that the City of College Park requires a permit to remove a tree or prune more than 20% of a tree's live branches.

Trees provide many benefits to our community, including cleaner air, lower temperatures, reduction of flooding, increased property values, and numerous health benefits. The City's Trees Guide (collegeparkmd.gov/Trees) provides more on how a healthy tree canopy benefits us all.

The City’s tree canopy protection code, which became effective July 1, 2022, is a way to help protect and manage our tree canopy. The code requires any property owner considering removing a tree with a circumference of at least 36 inches or pruning more than 20% of live branches in the tree canopy to apply for a removal permit.

The circumference measurement should be made 4 1/2 feet above ground level.

The permit application is free and online, at https://www.collegeparkmd.gov/TreeRemovalApp. City staff will review and evaluate each permit within 15 business days.

A permit will be issued if the tree is:

  • dead or diseased,
  • hazardous to the safety of persons or property and the risk cannot be mitigated using current tree care,
  • an invasive species identified on the Maryland Invasive Species Council list (https://mdinvasives.org/species-of-concern/),
  • objectively determined to adversely impact the property because of its location, condition or effect on other structures or trees,
  • located near houses or utilities where it can cause structural damage, or
  • located where it would make it difficult for a property owner to expand the footprint of the house in conjunction with an approved building permit from the County and City.

If tree work is urgently needed due to imminent endangerment of people or property, the tree code allows for the work to be done immediately, as long as the property owner applies for a permit afterward. Be sure to take photos beforehand that thoroughly depict the need for the work, to include with your application.

An approved tree removal permit requires replacement trees to be planted, to help sustain our tree canopy. If the removed tree measures 36 to 48 inches in circumference, one replacement tree should be planted. Removal of a tree more than 48 inches in circumference requires two replacement trees. The City has programs to help residents who need or want to plant new trees, including the Tree Canopy Enhancement Program, tree giveaways, and contracted tree planting.

An approved tree permit should be obtained prior to the tree work beginning. The approved tree permit should be posted so that it is visible from the street until the work is done. The work must be done within 1 year of issuance of the permit, and replacement trees must be planted within 1 year of tree removal.

If your removal application is denied, please consider the reasons for the denial. Healthy, non-invasive trees that don't endanger persons or property are valuable to property owners, residents, and the entire community, and problems or risks may be addressed using professional tree care practices. If you continue to think that the removal or pruning is necessary, you may request an opinion from a third-party assessor qualified as an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certified arborist or a Tree Risk Assessment Qualified (TRAQ) arborist that is licensed and insured to perform tree assessments in Maryland. Details are in the City's Tree Guide (available at www.collegeparkmd.gov/Trees).

Thanks for helping keep College Park a vibrant and sustainable community by protecting and enhancing our tree canopy!