Tree Service in Haverhill, MA

Rules and permits

Who decides about trees in Haverhill

City trees in Haverhill are handled by the Highway Department and its Park & Tree Department, the Tree Division, where a Tree Foreman inspects trees reported to the city (Tree Trimming and Removal). For private trees, the body that matters is the Conservation Commission, near wetlands and the city's water-supply lakes. The City Code has no chapter on trees or scenic roads (City Code), and we found no city permit for taking down a private tree outside the wetland rules.

City trees

Highway dispatcher 978-374-2364 or 311; Tree Foreman inspects

Wetland buffer

100 ft; 200 ft at six water-supply lakes and ponds

Wetland zones

Commission may require 25 ft no-disturb and 50 ft no-build

Burning

$10 permit, January 15 to April 30; call in each day

Brush drop-off

Sticker; Wednesdays and Saturdays; 6 in. diameter max

Requesting work on a city tree. To ask for a city tree to be trimmed or removed, or to report one that looks dangerous, call the highway dispatcher at 978-374-2364 or file a 311 service request. The dispatcher opens a work order, and the Tree Foreman goes out to inspect. The Highway Department is at 500 Primrose Street, main line 978-374-2360. The city's page is frank that the Tree Division is a two-man crew limited by budget cuts and that work can take up to four years (Tree Trimming and Removal). Under state law, a public shade tree can't be removed without a tree warden's public hearing (M.G.L. c.87 §3), so a homeowner's crew shouldn't touch the city tree while waiting, even if a private tree beside it comes down sooner.

The wetlands ordinance. The Conservation Commission administers the state Wetlands Protection Act, the Rivers Protection Act and the city's own wetlands ordinance (Conservation rules and regulations). The ordinance, Chapter 253, sets a 100-foot buffer zone that grows by 6 inches for every foot of horizontal distance where the slope is 2:1 or steeper. It sets a 200-foot buffer around Kenoza Lake, Crystal Lake, Chadwick Pond, Johnson Pond, Round Pond and Millvale Reservoir. The Commission may require a 25-foot no-build, no-disturbance zone and a 50-foot no-build zone, and inside 50 feet an applicant must overcome "a strong presumption of adverse impact." Exemptions apply only after a request for determination is filed (Chapter 253).

What the Commission's FAQ adds. Work within 100 feet of a regulated area or 200 feet of a riverfront area needs a filing, and removing vegetation is a regulated activity; clearing natural vegetation or dumping yard waste there without a permit is prohibited. In drinking-water-supply areas, the FAQ puts the no-build zones at 35 and 75 feet. Minor buffer-zone projects, tree cutting included, usually start with a call to the Conservation Department at 978-374-2334, and staff often review them by phone or at a site meeting (Conservation common questions). Don't leave brush piles at the edge of a wetland after a job.

Large clearing. A Stormwater Management Permit is needed before land disturbance of an acre or more (Stormwater Management Permit). A single removal won't come near that, but clearing a wooded lot can.

Digging out a stump. Haverhill's Right-of-Way & Trench permit requires 72 hours' notice to Dig Safe (811), the Water Division and Engineering before excavating in the city right-of-way (Trench permit). On private land, state law still counts digging, augering and grading as excavation that needs Dig Safe notice at least 72 hours ahead, not counting weekends and legal holidays (M.G.L. c.82 §40A, definition of excavation, c.82 §40), and Dig Safe suggests the hired contractor make the call (Dig Safe FAQs).

National Grid lines. National Grid serves Haverhill, according to the state's 2021 electric franchise list (electric franchise list). The company handles routine trimming around its high-voltage wires; homeowners are responsible for branches near the low-voltage service drop to their homes, and National Grid isn't responsible for trees threatening telephone or cable wires. Before work near the lines, call 1-800-322-3223 at least five days ahead; a forestry representative visits, and you can ask for the service wire to be disconnected for the job or sometimes covered with rubber sleeves (National Grid trees FAQ). A wire down with a tree goes to National Grid at 1-800-465-1212 or 911 (National Grid trees page).

Last verified November 2026. Fees, restrictions and deadlines on this page are due for re-checking by November 2026. New England Tree Service is a referral service. We don't cut trees, request hearings or file with the conservation commission.