Baltimore, MD · Baltimore City County
Tree removal in Baltimore
In Baltimore City, removing a street tree needs a written permit from Recreation and Parks, the work must be done by a Maryland Licensed Tree Expert, and the tree is replaced inch for inch or with a fee. Trees entirely on your property, away from the street, need no city permit.
Baltimore's rowhouse blocks, from Canton and Fells Point to Hampden and Remington, leave narrow backyards reached through an alley or the house itself. Trees there, often volunteers like tree-of-heaven, mulberry and Norway maple that grew up along fences, are climbed and lowered in pieces and carried out to the alley.
Street trees are a separate story. They belong to the city, and Baltimore's Forestry Division manages pruning and removal. Recent changes to the city's tree law tightened permit and mitigation rules for street trees, with the goal of growing the canopy in neighborhoods that have the least.
Reviewed and updated
Baltimore's street tree permits
- A person may not remove a tree in or along a public street without a written permit from the Department of Recreation and Parks.
- Permitted removals must be done by a Maryland Licensed Tree Expert, and removed street trees must be replaced inch for inch or mitigated with a fee.
- Trees entirely on private property that don't border the road can be removed without a permit.
Sources (checked 2026-10-01)
Rules change and details depend on your exact property. Confirm with the city or county before work starts. This isn't legal advice.
What a street tree permit can cost you in replacement
Because Baltimore requires inch-for-inch replacement or a mitigation fee for street trees, it helps to know the size before asking for removal.
- 1
Measure the trunk
Measure around the trunk at chest height and divide by 3.14 to get the diameter in inches.
- 2
Understand inch-for-inch
A 15-inch street tree means replacing 15 inches of trunk diameter in new trees, or paying the equivalent fee.
- 3
Ask whether pruning solves it
Clearance or deadwood pruning may fix the problem without the cost of replacement.
- 4
Use a licensed tree expert
Maryland requires one for the work, and they can help with the permit request.
Rowhouse backyards, volunteers and summer storms
Street tree permits
Removing a street tree requires a written Recreation and Parks permit, a licensed tree expert, and inch-for-inch replacement or a fee.
Rowhouse backyards
Narrow lots and alleys mean most private removals are rigged and hand-carried.
Volunteer trees
Tree-of-heaven, mulberry and Norway maple grow up against walls and fences.
Summer storms
Derechos and thunderstorms bring down limbs onto alleys, roofs and lines.
Planetrees, willow oaks, pears and backyard volunteers
- London planetree
- Common, large street tree
- Willow oak
- Large street tree on wider streets
- Callery pear
- Splits in wind and ice
- Tree-of-heaven
- Invasive; lanternfly host; resprouts
- Norway maple and mulberry
- Backyard volunteers against walls
Big tulip poplars and oaks in Roland Park and Homeland
North Baltimore's detached-house neighborhoods have some of the city's largest trees: tulip poplars, oaks and beeches planted or left standing a century ago. Tulip poplars grow very tall and can shed large limbs in storms; old oaks develop decay where big limbs were lost.
These trees are worth inspecting every few years, because pruning a defective limb is far cheaper than removing a 100-foot tree in pieces over a slate roof.
Rowhouses, rear alleys and overhead service lines
Rowhouses with narrow backyards and rear alleys; overhead service lines cross most yards. Larger detached lots in Roland Park, Homeland and northeast Baltimore have mature oaks and tulip poplars over houses.
BGE handles trees on its lines. In rowhouse yards, service lines often cross the yard itself, so crews may need the utility to drop or protect a line before lowering limbs.
Baltimore services from rowhouse to detached
Rowhouse volunteers and declining backyard trees.
Deadwood and clearance on big north Baltimore trees.
Summer thunderstorm and tropical remnant cleanup.
Small machines for rowhouse yards; some stumps are cut flush instead.
Dead ash and storm-killed trees.
Baltimore tree questions
Can I remove the street tree in front of my Baltimore rowhouse?
Only with a written permit from Recreation and Parks, and the work must be done by a licensed tree expert. You'll typically need to replace the tree inch for inch or pay a mitigation fee.
A tree-of-heaven is growing against my back wall. What's the best way to remove it?
In small pieces, cut away from the wall, so nothing levers against old brick and mortar. Roots that have worked into joints are cut flush rather than pulled, and the stump is usually treated instead of ground because a grinder can't get close to a wall.
Does my Baltimore tree company need a license?
Yes. Tree care for hire in Maryland must be done by or under a Licensed Tree Expert. Ask for the number and proof of insurance.
Calls are routed to independent local tree-service providers. How calling works
More local guides
Need tree help in Baltimore?
Call to speak with a local tree-service provider about removal, trimming, stumps or storm damage. Describe the tree and what it's near, and they'll explain the next step.