Parma’s tree-permit record is not limited to the moment a trunk is cut. Ordinance 31-26, dated March 2, 2026, also reaches specified work inside the dripline of a covered tree—including excavation, fill, soil compaction and construction of a building, structure, street, sidewalk, driveway, pavement or utility.
That makes a tree check relevant to some projects that are filed primarily as paving, utility, driveway or building work.
Screen the action, place and tree separately
The enacted Ordinance 31-26 requires a permit before covered planting or removal in the public, commercial, multifamily and single-family residential settings described by the section. It creates a separate trigger for the named activities within a covered tree’s dripline.
Build the screening note from three questions:
- Action: planting, removal, excavation, fill, compaction, building, street, sidewalk, driveway, pavement or utility work?
- Place: public property/treelawn, single-family, multifamily, commercial, or another site classification?
- Tree interaction: removal, planting, or proposed activity inside the dripline?
Do not decide the dripline from a casual canopy estimate. Show the tree and proposed work on a site sketch and ask the City to classify the interaction.
The five-day filing rule is not an automatic approval window
The ordinance says applications are to be made to the City Forester at least five days before work. It also lets the Forester waive that timing in an emergency.
Neither statement promises a decision within five days. And a property owner or contractor cannot create the emergency waiver by labeling the job urgent. Preserve the City’s written waiver or permit result before proceeding, except where a responsible authority gives different immediate safety direction.
The ordinance routes removal fees to another code section and says planting permits have no cost. Check the current fee through the City; do not rely on an old amount or assume “no planting fee” means no planting permit.
Turn the current form into a project record
The City’s permit page links the current Tree Planting / Removal Permit Application. The form asks for evidence useful well beyond the blank:
- applicant, owner and primary-residence status;
- residential or commercial classification;
- contractor identity and City registration;
- lot size and the tree’s distances from relevant features;
- tree species and treelawn status;
- the number of trees over six inches in diameter;
- project valuation; and
- a site sketch showing the proposed work.
It also creates a special evidence field for work within two feet of a property line: neighbor signoff or a boundary survey as the form directs. That does not let a neighbor approve City work, settle legal ownership, or substitute for the permit.
Do not promote the form’s six-inch field into the whole rule
The form asks how many trees are over six inches in diameter. The reviewed ordinance section does not present that question as the single universal permit trigger.
Record the requested diameter information, but screen the ordinance by action, place and dripline interaction. A form field can help the reviewer classify work without replacing the enacted text.
The same caution applies to “private-property tree.” Single-family property appears in the ordinance. Private location alone does not establish an exemption.
A permit matrix for common projects
| Proposed work | Tree record to gather | Separate question to preserve |
|---|---|---|
| Remove a tree | Ownership/location, species, size, site sketch and City permit result | Utility conflicts, safe removal, replacement or other permit conditions |
| Plant a tree | Location, species, treelawn/property context and planting permit | Utility clearance, right-of-way and accepted location |
| Replace driveway or sidewalk | Tree locations, proposed limits and dripline relationship | Separate paving, right-of-way, and building approvals |
| Excavate for utility work | Route, depth/limits supplied by the project professional, trees and driplines | Utility authorization, locate records and restoration |
| Add fill or compact soil | Area, depth supplied in plans and dripline overlap | Drainage, grading and other site review |
| Build or pave | Accepted site plan with tree impacts | Building, zoning and engineering decisions |
The matrix identifies evidence; it does not determine whether a permit is required for the particular facts.
Commercial and multifamily conditions do not transfer automatically
The enacted section includes additional planning conditions for commercial and multifamily removals, distinguishing developed and vacant property contexts. Keep those conditions in the applicable project file. Do not impose them on every single-family request, and do not omit them from a commercial project because a residential form was easier to find.
Close with the City’s written result
Retain the submitted application and sketch, contractor registration result, fee receipt if any, permit or denial, conditions, approved tree/work locations, inspection requirements and final City record. If the scope moves closer to another tree or crosses a boundary shown on the plan, ask for an amended decision.
For an urgent tree condition, document observable facts and contact the responsible City office or emergency authority. This article cannot assess hazard or recommend removal. The key record is the Forester’s project-specific direction, not the word “emergency” in a private estimate.