Do you need a permit to cut down a tree in Dripping Springs, TX? Enter your address for Dripping Springs tree removal and pruning rules, size thresholds and how to apply.
At a home with a certificate of occupancy you may remove any tree except a heritage tree (18"+ hardwood, 8"+ for Texas persimmon, redbud, mountain laurel, condalia, possumhaw and hawthorn). Heritage trees must be kept unless an exception applies or the Development Review Committee grants a waiver. Dead, diseased or hazardous trees (Certified Arborist) are excluded. In Water Quality Protection Zones all healthy protected trees are kept. These residential rules apply in city limits only.
How to apply: Ask the Development Review Committee for a heritage tree waiver through Dripping Springs Planning.
Texas law: cities cannot charge a tree mitigation fee for a tree under 10" at an existing one- or two-family home you live in (Local Gov't Code §212.905, HB 7, 2017). Since 2023, landowners can petition to leave a city's ETJ (SB 2038), so ETJ lines change; we read the live City of Austin jurisdiction map.
Official sources: mcclibraryfunctions.azurewebsites.us/api/ordinanceDownload/1