Know if I Need a Tree Removal Permit

Check out our recent podcast episode of Inside City Hall! It's all about Trees in Oregon City, and when you might or might not need a permit to remove them!

Though the City does not encourage removal of trees, sometimes it is necessary.

Tree Removal Permits Are Required in the Following Situations

• Trees on non-residentially zoned property always require a permit. In these cases, a Type I Minor Site Plan and Design Review Application with a Landscaping Addendum (PDF) and/or Tree Removal Addendum (PDF) is required.
• Street tree removals always require a permit. In these cases, a Street Tree Removal Application is required.

When one or more of the following situations exists:

• The tree removal will occur within a required vegetated natural resource buffer protected by the Natural Resource Overlay District.
• The tree removal will destabilize a steep slope or geological hazard regulated by the Geological Hazard Overlay District.
• The tree removal affects an approved Landscaping Plan.
• The tree is protected by a recorded covenant, landscape easement, Heritage Tree designation, or other legal document.

When Don't You Need a Permit to Remove a Tree?

• Normal pruning and maintenance.
  • You don't need a permit to prune a street tree abutting your property. However, the city does not allow "topping" of trees, which is the indiscriminate removal of more than 1/2 of a tree's canopy. The advice of an ISA Certified Arborist is always recommended.
  • See an excellent Tree Care Kit if you would like information about caring for trees following storm damage.
• Residential Zones (not including multi-family or mixed use).
  • In general, if you need to remove a tree growing on a privately owned, residentially zoned lot that does not have any of the preceding situations in the bulleted list above, you do not need a permit.

The City of Oregon City protects our urban forest by reviewing a tree removal permit for trees on public property, non-residential property, on historically designated land or in environmentally sensitive areas.

Before you begin your project, please review the following information guide to see if the tree you would like to remove requires a permit. In most cases where a tree removal permit is require, replacement is also required.

If you have any questions, please email the Planning Department or call 503-722-3789.