Tree Work Permit

When are Tree Work Permits required?

A permit is required to plant, prune, remove, or treat any tree or woody plant originating within the public right of way (area located between the curb and the sidewalk) of any street, sidewalk, or alley, or upon other town-owned property within the town without having first obtained a written permit from the Town Forester.

Private trees: No permit is required to perform any work on trees located wholly on private properties.

  1. Planting
  2. Pruning
  3. Removal
  4. Treatment

A Tree Work Permit is required to plant any tree or woody plant originating within the public right of way (area located between the curb and the sidewalk) of any street, sidewalk, or alley, or upon other town-owned property within the town

  • A Tree Work Permit is required for all trees that are planted in the public right-of-way after the approved development landscape design plan.
  • Tree Work Permits are not required to perform any work on trees located wholly on private properties.
  • Optimal tree planting dates are between March 15 - June 15 and Sept. 1 – Oct. 15.

All locations and spacing of trees planted in the public right of way shall be in accordance with the specifications and requirements set forth in the most recent version of the Town of Erie Standards and Specifications.

All trees shall be placed a minimum of 10 feet from all buildings. When space is limited or a special design effect or function is desired, closer spacing can be allowed upon permission of the Parks & Recreation Director or designee.

No street trees shall be planted within 10 feet of any fire hydrant.

Coniferous trees shall be planted a minimum of 6 feet away from hardscapes (sidewalks, trails, curbs, fences, walls, columns, parking lots, etc.). Fruit-bearing and thorny trees shall be placed a minimum of 10 feet away from parking lots, sidewalks and trails.

Regardless of the presence of warning signs, no trees shall be planted within landscape beds or tree lawns located between a sidewalk or curb closer than 55’ from the visibility triangle of an intersection unless authorized by the Parks & Recreation Director or designee.

No street trees, other than those species designated as ornamental/small trees in the Town of Erie Approved Tree List, shall be planted under or within 10 lateral feet of any overhead electrical, telephone or other utility wire or line, or over or within 5 lateral feet of any underground water, sewer, electrical, telephone or other utility wire, line or main.

All placement considerations listed above, as well as planting and cultural practices listed within this section also apply to trees planted within tree grates. Trees grate design must be approved by the TOE Parks & Recreation Director or designee.

All trees shall be centered within tree lawns unless approved otherwise by the Parks and Recreation Director.

All trees planted within the public right-of-way shall be 1.5 inch caliper or larger. Caliper measurement shall be taken 6 inches above the root flare if 4 inches or less and 12 inches above the root flare for larger tree sizes.

Ash Trees

There is a moratorium of planting any ash trees (Fraxinus spp.) on any Town-owned property due to the threat of Emerald Ash Borer.

The following are not acceptable as street trees:

  • Any species of Ash tree
  • Any Weeping and Pndulous trees
  • Boxelder – Acer negundo
  • Evergreens (Pines, Spruce, Fir, Arborviate, Juniper, etc.) - Pinus spp., Picea spp., Abies spp., Thuja spp., Juniperus spp.
  • Multi-Stemmed or Clump Forms
  • Poplars (Cottonwood, Aspen, Lombardy) - Populus spp.
  • Russian Olive - Elaeagnus angustifolia
  • Silver Maple - Acer saccharinum
  • Thorn-bearing trees
  • Tree-of-heaven – Ailanthus altissima
  • Willow - Salix spp.
  • Other tree species as directed at the discretion of the Town Forester