Tree Removal Permit in Virginia Beach, VA
Permit Summary
Do You Need a Tree Removal Permit?
Exemptions
The special RPA Tree Removal PPR process applies to trees in the RPA and not to ordinary stand-alone removal on otherwise unregulated private lots outside that area. No general citywide stand-alone tree-removal permit process is identified for ordinary private-yard trees outside special protected areas or approved development/landscape plans. Routine work must still avoid City-owned vegetation, comply with recorded approvals, and obtain any required land-disturbance or other permits. The City does not publish a blanket RPA exemption for dead or hazardous trees; such requests are accommodated through the PPR review.
Protected Trees & Removal Eligibility
Protected Tree Rules
The Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area Ordinance (Appendix F) protects the vegetated Resource Protection Area buffer; proposed tree removal there is subject to City review and approval. State regulation 9VAC25-830-140 requires retaining the vegetated buffer and preserving mature trees where practical. City-owned trees, including City street trees, are separately protected against unauthorized cutting or removal. Trees retained or planted under approved development plans and Appendix E tree-canopy requirements may also be subject to plan compliance.
When Removal Is Allowed
Within the RPA, the City reviews removal requests for reasonable sight lines, access paths, general woodlot management and best management practices that prevent erosion or concentrated runoff. The Virginia Administrative Code allows limited removal of dead, diseased or dying vegetation, invasive/noxious weeds, sound horticultural thinning and shoreline stabilization subject to applicable local standards and review. For vistas, pruning should be preferred to removal when feasible and the fewest mature trees should be removed. The Board may approve, deny or condition proposals requiring a variance.
Replacement Requirements
Replacement Rules
For trees removed to create sight lines or vistas in an RPA buffer, Virginia regulation requires replacement vegetation equally effective at filtering runoff and preventing erosion; replacement trees appropriate to site conditions should maintain the buffer function, with native species preferred. Shoreline stabilization, development and CBPA variance approvals can impose site-specific planting and buffer restoration. Appendix E and approved development plans establish minimum canopy/tree planting obligations, which may require replacement or retention to maintain compliance. No universal one-for-one tree replacement rule for ordinary private-yard removal was established.
Arborist & Professional Requirements
Professional Requirements
The CBPA Board's published Tree Removal in the RPA exhibit checklist says a certified arborist report may be included at the applicant's discretion; it is not a routine required attachment. If a Board variance is needed, the site plan or survey must be signed and dated by the responsible professional. Work on City-owned trees requires City authorization through the Landscape Services Administrator or City Arborist; ordinary private-yard removals have no general City arborist-certification prerequisite identified.
Public Notice Requirements
Notice Rules
For a CBPA Board tree-removal variance hearing, the applicant must post City-provided public-notice signs at the street and waterside at least 15 days before the hearing, and keep them posted until the Board acts. The City mails notices to adjacent owners and advertises in the newspaper and on its website; the sign-posting instructions also address nearby owners across narrow waterways. Missing signs can result in deferral or denial. The stand-alone administrative RPA PPR does not itself carry these Board-hearing notice requirements.
Emergency Tree Removal
The RPA Tree Removal PPR form expressly addresses hazardous trees: applicants must give tree-to-structure distance and photographs showing the tree relative to the structure, with a removal reason for each tree. The published form does not establish a blanket emergency exemption or an automatic after-the-fact approval route. Where a public tree presents a hazard, contact City Park & Landscape Services or report the hazard to the City; emergencies threatening immediate safety should be reported to emergency responders.
Development & Special Areas
Development-Related Rules
The stand-alone RPA Tree Removal PPR is specifically for removal not associated with a development plan or construction. Construction-related tree clearing is reviewed through site-plan, subdivision, CBPA or land-disturbance processes instead. Virginia's Bay regulations direct that mature trees be preserved during development where practicable and removed only when necessary. Project plans in the RPA may require delineation, Water Quality Impact Assessment, construction/tree-protection limits, approved mitigation and related erosion/stormwater permits. The City's Appendix E also sets tree-canopy/planting standards for development; removal must not defeat approved planting or landscape commitments.
Special Zone Rules
In the northern Chesapeake Bay watershed, identify whether the property lies in a Resource Protection Area (RPA) or Resource Management Area (RMA); RPA buffers are especially restricted, typically including a 100-foot vegetated buffer adjoining qualifying tidal waters, wetlands and perennial waters. The City's CBPA map is a preliminary planning guide; site-specific RPA delineation may be needed. Work affecting public rights-of-way/easements requires separate City review; projects in wetlands, shoreline areas or other regulated waters may also require state or federal permits. Erosion/stormwater controls can apply when land disturbance reaches applicable thresholds, including 2,500 square feet for certain projects.
What You Need Before Applying
Requirements
Identify whether the tree is on private land, City property or a public right-of-way, and whether it lies in the Chesapeake Bay Resource Protection Area (RPA) or an approved development/landscape-plan area. For stand-alone RPA tree removal, submit the Tree Removal PPR for City environmental review before removal; larger healthy-tree removal proposals may proceed to a CBPA Board variance. Public trees need the appropriate City written authorization, and clearing connected with construction or grading must comply with applicable development, tree-canopy and erosion/stormwater approvals.
Required Documents
For an RPA Tree Removal PPR: completed form with property owner/applicant contact details and email, property address, a scaled map or survey identifying each tree relative to the house, approximate tree diameter at 4.5 feet above grade and height, species/common name if known, and clear labeled color photographs of each tree's canopy, trunk and root zone. For hazard claims include distance to the structure and photos showing the relationship. State the number of canopy and understory trees and individual reasons for removal. A CBPA Board variance additionally requires a professionally signed and dated site plan/survey, Water Quality Impact Assessment, disclosure statement and fee, as applicable.