Tree rules in Baltimore: permits, protected trees and fees
What the Baltimore City Code and the Recreation and Parks forestry pages say about street and park tree permits, licensed tree experts, inch-for-inch replacement, the forest conservation rules for development and the fines.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 10, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It restates Article 7 (Natural Resources) of the Baltimore City Code, read on October 10, 2026 on the city's own code library, and two Baltimore City Recreation and Parks forestry pages, also read on October 10, 2026. The wider list of cities is on the guide to tree permits in the largest US cities.
Who decides
Subtitle 53 of Article 7 gives the Department of Recreation and Parks, in consultation with the Department of Transportation, the job of regulating planting, protection, removal and control of trees in the city's parks and streets. The forestry page says the Forestry Division looks after trees in parks and streets, and that residents report non-emergency tree problems through 311. The FAQ page says a fallen tree blocking a road, or one that has fallen on a car or house, is treated as an emergency, while a tree blocking only a sidewalk is not.
Permits for street and park trees
| Section | What the code says |
|---|---|
| 53-12 treating trees | No one may spray, mulch, fertilize, treat, remove, destroy, break, cut or trim a tree or part of one in a street, lane or alley without a written permit from the Department of Transportation, in consultation with Recreation and Parks |
| 53-15 street tree removal | A written permit from Recreation and Parks is needed to remove a tree in or along a public street, unless the Director has authorized it in writing. The department has 20 business days from the request to approve, deny or ask for more information |
| 53-16 park tree removal | The same permit and 20 business day timing apply to a tree in a public park |
| 53-11 planting | A written permit from the Department of Transportation is needed to plant a tree in a street, lane or alley |
| 53-13 roots | A written permit is needed to place stone, cement or other material over the ground so that it impedes air and water to the roots, without leaving an open area of not less than 32 square feet around the trunk |
| 53-14 time | All work under a permit is to be completed within 30 days from the date shown on it |
Under 53-15(b) and 53-16(b) any tree removal permitted on street or park land has to be done by a licensed tree expert under Title 5, Subtitle 4, Part III of Maryland's Natural Resources Article. Section 53-5 requires a durable notice on a street tree for at least 5 days before removal, giving the reason and who to contact, with an exception for emergencies such as a fallen tree. In an emergency the City or the person it permits must tell the City Council promptly afterwards.
Replacement and fees in lieu
The code uses inch-for-inch replacement: replacement trees with an equal or greater total diameter than the trees removed, the removed tree measured at breast height (4.5 feet) and the new one in caliper inches (6 inches off the ground). For street trees, a tree greater than 1 inch at breast height that is approved for removal is mitigated. For park trees, mitigation applies to a tree of 8 inches or more, or to a deliberately planted tree of 1 inch or more. If replanting at the site is not possible the department may approve another site. If that fails, a fee in lieu goes to the Director of Finance in an amount approved by the Board of Estimates. The code prints no dollar amount for it. The department may exempt a tree that is dead, dying, diseased and contagious, or at high risk of death, disease or failure.
The forestry FAQ page adds that the Forestry Division does not remove a street tree because it conflicts with a sidewalk, and that tree removal permits are issued only where removal is required to repair a leaking sewer. This page reports those two statements as the FAQ words them.
Injury, penalties and the private-land rules
Section 53-21 bars fastening animals to street trees, attaching rope, wire, signs or posters to a street tree, and removing or misusing tree guards. Its subsection (d) says no person shall remove, damage, injure or otherwise harm any tree or the root zone of a tree beneath the ground. Section 53-22 covers willfully breaking, pulling down or destroying trees on streets and public grounds. Section 53-26 makes a violation of 53-11, 53-12, 53-13, 53-21 or 53-22 a misdemeanor with a fine of not more than US$500 for each offense.
Division IV (Forest and Tree Conservation) reaches work on private land through development. Section 41-4 applies it to anyone applying for a grading or building permit on 5,000 square feet or more, or a subdivision or development plan on more than 5,000 square feet, and those approvals are conditioned on a Forest Conservation Plan. Section 44-6 says no one may cut, clear or grade the development site before the plan is approved. The code defines a specimen tree as one of 20 inches or more at 4.5 feet, or 75 percent of the diameter of the state champion of its species. Section 41-5 lists exemptions, including activity on a single lot that does not clear 5,000 square feet of forest or involve a permit for that much disturbance, and building a home for the owner or a child or grandchild that clears under 20,000 square feet.
When mitigation is not possible, section 46-3 sets a payment of US$60,000 per acre for forest planting and US$300 per inch for specimen tree mitigation, or a rate the Planning Commission sets with Board of Estimates approval. Section 48-2 sets a penalty of US$120,000 per acre for noncompliance, or the adjusted rate, and 48-3 a civil penalty up to US$1,000 per violation with each day a separate violation.