Tree Removal Permit in Richmond, VA
Permit Summary
Do You Need a Tree Removal Permit?
Exemptions
Richmond states that the City does not regulate or maintain trees on private property, so ordinary removal of a privately owned tree is not subject to the Urban Forestry city-tree permit. Separate approval can still apply because of an Old and Historic District, Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area requirements, an approved development or landscape plan, or other site-specific regulation.
Protected Trees & Removal Eligibility
Protected Tree Rules
City-owned and right-of-way trees are protected from cutting without Department of Public Works permission. Urban Forestry's removal criteria are directed at preserving City trees and allow routine removal when a tree is dead, sufficiently dying or diseased to compromise health and safety, or structurally defective and a public-safety concern. Healthy City-tree removal needs department-director approval. Additional protection can apply to visible major plantings in City Old and Historic Districts and to indigenous vegetation in Chesapeake Bay Preservation Areas.
When Removal Is Allowed
Urban Forestry identifies four principal bases for City-tree removal: the tree is dead; the majority of the tree is dying so overall health and safety are compromised; disease compromises overall health and safety; or structural defects compromise strength and create a public-safety concern. City-tree applications are reviewed by a City Arborist. If a healthy tree is proposed for removal, the department director must approve a Variance to the Municipal Tree Policy before removal, and remediation may be required.
Replacement Requirements
Replacement Rules
Replacement or mitigation depends on the regulatory pathway. Urban Forestry states that remediation may be required when a healthy City tree is approved for removal under a variance. In Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area buffers, trees removed for permitted sight lines or vistas must be replaced with vegetation equally effective at retarding runoff, preventing erosion, and filtering nonpoint-source pollution. Required zoning landscaping must also continue to meet applicable maintenance and replacement requirements.
Arborist & Professional Requirements
Professional Requirements
City-tree removal decisions are made through Urban Forestry review. Richmond's removal criteria state that City-tree removals must be inspected by a Certified Arborist to warrant removal, and citizen removal applications are reviewed by a City Arborist. For trees with high social, economic, or cultural value, a tree-risk assessment may be performed and documented when the certified City Arborist and Urban Forestry Operations Manager determine it is appropriate. Richmond does not publish a general citywide arborist-report requirement for ordinary private-tree removal.
Public Notice Requirements
Notice Rules
The Urban Forestry city-tree removal permit page does not state a general public-notice requirement. A separate notice process can apply when private-property tree removal is part of a Certificate of Appropriateness case in a City Old and Historic District: Commission cases receive published agenda notice at least seven days before the meeting, and applications involving a defined substantial impact require mailed notice to property owners within 150 feet at least seven days before the meeting.
Emergency Tree Removal
For a dangerous tree in the public right-of-way, Richmond directs residents to request an Urban Forestry assessment through RVA311. For storm-related emergencies such as downed power lines or blocked roadways, alleys, or sidewalks, the City directs callers to the non-emergency police number. The current Urban Forestry tree-removal page does not publish a general after-the-fact emergency removal permit procedure for City trees.
Development & Special Areas
Development-Related Rules
Tree removal can become part of broader development review. Richmond's Site Plan process applies to covered development, including projects disturbing more than 4,000 square feet of land or more than 2,500 square feet in a designated Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area, with stated exceptions including one- and two-family homes. Chesapeake Bay site plans must identify significant plant material, including all trees six inches or greater DBH, show trees proposed for removal, and describe mitigation. Existing trees credited toward required zoning landscaping must be shown on approved plans and protected during construction, and required landscaping must be maintained or replaced.
Special Zone Rules
City Old and Historic Districts can require a Certificate of Appropriateness for visible site changes, and the zoning definition of site improvements includes removal of major plantings; major plantings include trees or shrubs with trunks greater than three inches in diameter or more than eight feet in height. In Chesapeake Bay Preservation Areas, indigenous vegetation must be preserved to the maximum extent practicable, and buffer vegetation removal is limited: dead, diseased, or dying trees may be removed under sound horticultural practices, while removal for sight lines or vistas requires effective replacement vegetation. Richmond adopted Ordinance 2026-039 on February 23, 2026, updating the Chesapeake Bay provisions; the separate 2026 zoning Code Refresh remains a draft and is not treated as current law.
What You Need Before Applying
Requirements
Before removing a City-owned tree or a tree in a City-owned right-of-way, obtain permission through the Department of Public Works Urban Forestry Division. Submit the current Tree Maintenance/Removal Application and allow City Arborist review. Removal of a healthy City tree requires approval by the department director through the City's variance process.
Required Documents
Submit the online Tree Maintenance/Removal Application. Richmond does not publish a separate current document checklist on the Urban Forestry page. A healthy City-tree request may require a Variance to the Municipal Tree Policy, and additional supporting information or tree-risk documentation may be required based on City Arborist review.