Tree rules in Portland: permits, protected trees and fees
What the City of Portland's own pages say about street trees and private trees, the 12 inch threshold, removal and replanting permits, emergency removals, replacement rules and the July 10, 2026 fee schedule.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 8, 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 describes the City of Portland pages on tree permits and the tree permitting fee schedule effective July 10, 2026, as read on October 8, 2026. The pages point to Title 11, the city's Tree Code, as the rule itself. The wider list of cities is on the guide to tree permits in the largest US cities.
Street trees and private trees
The city's "Do I need a tree permit" page says a street tree is any tree growing in the city's right-of-way, the strip of land near city streets, and that care of street trees is the responsibility of the closest bordering property owner. It says a permit is required for any activity that may harm a street tree, to remove any street tree, to plant one, and to prune one. Sucker shoots and self-sown trees under 1/2 inch in diameter are listed as not needing a pruning permit.
For a private tree the same page says a removal permit is needed for trees 12 inches in diameter at 4.5 feet and larger. The private property page walks through a six-step chart. It sends a lot with an active or planned development permit to the Bureau of Development Services, and a Heritage Tree or a tree 12 inches DBH or greater to an Urban Forestry permit. A tree in a parking lot goes to the development bureau. Trees of any size in certain environmental overlay zones (c, e, g, h, i, n, p, q, r, s, v) and in six named plan districts may need a permit, and the page says a phone call to 503-823-8733 settles which office.
When a removal and replanting permit is granted
The qualifying page says a permit for a regulated private tree is granted when the tree meets at least one condition and the applicant agrees to replant:
- the tree is dead, dying or dangerous;
- the tree is within 10 feet of a building or attached structure such as a deck or carport;
- the tree is a nuisance species on the Portland Plant List.
It adds that up to 4 healthy trees smaller than 20 inches in diameter are permitted to be removed per site per calendar year if they are not Heritage Trees or trees required by a permit. For street trees, a permit is generally granted when the tree is dead, dying or dangerous and the applicant agrees to replace it.
| Private tree removed | Replacement as the page words it |
|---|---|
| Dead, dying or dangerous | Tree for tree |
| Within 10 feet of a building | Tree for tree |
| Nuisance species | Tree for tree |
| 12 to 20 inches DBH, 1 to 4 trees a year | Tree for tree |
| 12 to 20 inches DBH, 5 or more trees a year | Up to inch for inch |
| 20 inches DBH or larger | Up to inch for inch |
"Up to inch for inch" is the page's term for caliper inches planted up to the diameter inches removed, which can be reduced from that maximum by the condition of the removed tree. A permit is valid for 365 days. The page lists minimum replacement trees: growing on average to at least 16 feet, reliably hardy, not on the nuisance list, and a true tree rather than a shrub. The qualifying page gives 1.5 inch caliper, single stem, for a private replacement, while the private replacement page gives 0.5 inch caliper for a broadleaf and 3 feet tall for a conifer.
Emergency removals
The emergency page defines an immediate hazard as, generally, a tree suddenly uprooting with cracks in the soil, or splitting with fresh white sapwood showing where the main branches meet the trunk. It says that if there is time for the normal permit process it is not an immediate hazard, and that a dead tree is often not one. For a private tree, only the hazardous portion may be removed before a permit. A retroactive Tree Removal and Replanting Permit must be applied for within 7 days, with photographs or an arborist report, and the application fee still applies. Where the inspector finds there was time for a permit, the page says the removal is a violation of Title 11 Chapter 11.70.
Fees
The fee schedule effective July 10, 2026 lists these figures:
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Removal and replanting application | No charge; US$25.00 per tree for 4 or more trees |
| Replanting waiver application | US$55.00 |
| Street tree pruning application with inspection | US$50.00 |
| Street tree planting application | No charge |
| Hourly rate | US$228.00 |
| Planting and establishment fee in lieu | US$472.00 per DBH inch; US$712.00 per on-site tree |
| Preservation fee in lieu, private trees 12 to under 20 inches | US$1,888.00 per tree |
| Preservation fee in lieu, private trees 20 inches and over | US$472.00 per DBH inch |
| Civil penalty | US$1,000.00 per tree per day |
| Restoration fee, removed tree | US$472.00 per DBH inch; US$944.00 per DBH inch for a Heritage Tree |
The qualifying page says a fee paid into the Urban Forestry Tree Planting and Preservation Fund applies where there is no room to replant, and that the maximum may be reduced for the condition of the tree. Replacement can go in the right-of-way, on the lot, on another property the owner has in the city, or in a neighbor's right-of-way with a signed consent form. Contact is PP&R Urban Forestry at 503-823-8733.
Sources
- City of Portland, Do I need a tree permit, read October 8, 2026
- City of Portland, Do I need a permit to remove trees on private property, read October 8, 2026
- City of Portland, Qualifying for a tree removal and replanting permit, read October 8, 2026
- City of Portland, Private property tree replacement, read October 8, 2026
- City of Portland, Emergency tree removals, read October 8, 2026
- City of Portland Permitting and Development, Tree permitting fee schedule effective July 10, 2026, read October 8, 2026