Tree services in Bucks County, PA: local permits, utilities and what to check

Updated November 10, 2026 · KeystoneProGuide editorial team

What should Bucks County homeowners know before hiring a tree service?

Three things are local. A Bucks County municipality can regulate tree removal on private land, and Doylestown Borough does. The electric utilities leave the wire to your house to you, not to their own crews. And the county runs its own consumer protection office that will mediate a dispute with a contractor. The rest of this guide takes each in turn.

Do you need a permit to take down a tree in Bucks County?

In some towns, yes, even on your own lot. Doylestown Borough's tree ordinance makes it unlawful to destroy or remove any tree growing on any property in the borough without first getting a tree removal permit. The exceptions are emergencies and trees covered by a subdivision or land development plan.

The borough's rules show what a local permit can involve:

• What counts. The ordinance's definitions cover deciduous and evergreen trees of six inches or more in diameter at breast height, and ornamental trees such as cherry, dogwood, Japanese maple, holly and birch from five inches. Sumac, box elder, sassafras and Ailanthus can be removed without the Shade Tree Commission's approval.
• The application. It asks for property details, the tree contractor's information, a description of the work and two photographs of each tree.
• The fee and the wait. The fee is $15 unless Council sets another amount. The Shade Tree Commission reviews the application at a meeting within 35 days, and an application not acted on within 45 days of a complete filing is deemed approved.
• Emergencies. A hazard tree threatening life or property may come down without a permit, but the owner must report the removal within 10 days, with documentation and photographs from a certified arborist.
• Hazard orders. If the borough finds a tree on private property is a hazard, the owner has five days from notice to correct it.

The ordinance also defines a "tree contractor" as anyone pruning, removing, cabling or fertilizing any tree in the borough, and defines topping as removing branches from mature trees "leaving stubs and large wounds". Other Bucks County townships and boroughs have their own codes, and they differ. Call yours before the crew is booked, and ask the company whether it will handle the application. The state-level rules are in what Pennsylvania and its towns require.

Who deals with trees near the power lines?

That depends on whose line it is. PPL Electric Utilities, which lists a Lehigh-Bucks project area among the counties on its reliability page, says it maintains vegetation near the pole-to-pole lines but does not trim near the service line from its pole to your building. That area is the owner's responsibility, and PPL asks you to call 1-800-342-5775 before pruning or removing trees around it so it can de-energize the line. PECO describes the same split for its customers: it does not do non-emergency trimming around the service wire and will disconnect it at no charge while a contractor works.

What do the Census figures say about Bucks County homes?

Most of the county's housing is houses. The Census Bureau's 2020-2024 estimates count 257,260 housing units, of which 79.5 percent are single-family houses, detached or attached, against 75.4 percent for Pennsylvania. Only 9.9 percent of the county's housing was built in 1939 or earlier, against 25.0 percent statewide, and 5.7 percent has been built since 2010.

Ownership is high too. The Census puts 77.8 percent of the county's 249,187 occupied homes as owner-occupied, above the state's 69.3 percent. Most households here deal with tree companies on their own account, which is why the insurance checks in how to choose a tree service are worth doing.

What about the spotted lanternfly?

Moving wood and brush is regulated wherever the quarantine applies. The Department of Agriculture's list of regulated articles includes "Logs, stumps, or any tree parts" and landscaping waste, and it publishes an interactive map that shows whether your address is in the quarantine zone. Check it before you load a trailer with logs to take elsewhere.

Where can you check a company or take a complaint?

Start with the Attorney General's contractor search, which can be filtered to Bucks County and lists "Tree services" as a type of work, though the state notes that this field is new and incomplete.

If something goes wrong, the county has its own office. Bucks County Consumer Protection/Weights and Measures says it mediates consumer complaints against businesses in or outside the county and passes cases to enforcement agencies where they may be criminal. The problems it lists include false statements that services or repairs are needed and incomplete or unsatisfactory home repairs, and a complaint form is available online. Businesses serving the county are on the Bucks County tree services page.

Sources

1. Chapter 25 Trees, Part 1: General Regulations, Borough of Doylestown
2. Chapter 25 Trees, Part 2: Permits, Borough of Doylestown
3. 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Bucks County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
4. 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
5. Consumer Protection/ Weights & Measures, Bucks County
6. Reliability, PPL Electric Utilities
7. Line Clearing, PPL Electric Utilities
8. Tree Trimming Assistance, PECO
9. Home Improvement Contractor Search, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
10. Spotted Lanternfly Quarantine and Permitting, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture