Tree work in Englewood: what to expect
Englewood runs from the Palisades ridge on the east, where the big estate lots of the East Hill sit under century-old oaks, beeches and tulip trees, down through the dense Victorian and early-1900s streets around Palisade Avenue and the hospital, to the flatter post-war Fourth Ward blocks near Route 4 and Overpeck Creek. Flat Rock Brook Nature Center and the wooded ravines off Jones Road are a reminder that much of the East Hill was never cleared; the trees there are the largest in eastern Bergen.
The spread of housing means the spread of jobs: a crane lifting a 90-foot tulip tree over a stone house on the hill, a climber dismantling a Norway maple between two row-style houses downtown, storm cleanup in the low wards after the creek rises. The city has had a tree-protection chapter for years and tightened it in response to visible clear-cutting on the hill, so the paperwork is real.
Do you need a permit to remove a tree in Englewood?
Depends on how many. Under Chapter 425, Article II of the City Code, a "regulated tree" is any tree at least 30 feet tall or 8 inches in diameter. Removing three or more regulated trees from a property within a five-year period requires a project permit from the City Engineer: an application with the lot, the species and sizes, the reason, a tree replacement plan, the tree company's state license, a cash performance bond set by the City Arborist, ribbon on each tree to be removed, and notice to neighbors. Removing fewer than three in five years requires a permit waiver instead: a letter on the tree company's letterhead to the City Engineer's office listing the number, size, species and reason. Replacement trees are required under the project permit, or a contribution to the Environmental Commission Tree Fund of at least $300 per required tree.
Exempt: emergency removals, utility pruning in the right-of-way, city trees over the public right-of-way, and a few others. Street trees and anything done around them (grade changes, paving within six feet) need a separate City Engineer permit under Article I.
Where to ask: Engineering Department, Englewood City Hall, 2-10 North Van Brunt Street, 201-567-0001 (the department's page carries the Tree Permit Application). Source: City Code Chapter 425, Trees (ecode360) and cityofenglewood.org Engineering page, read October 2026. Confirm the current rule with the municipality before work starts; ordinances change and towns were still amending these in 2025.
What goes wrong with trees in Englewood
- East Hill giants. Tulip trees and oaks over 100 feet on steep ground near stone retaining walls and old houses. These are crane or lift jobs with street closures, and they are the ones to assess rather than wait on.
- Beech leaf disease. Englewood's beeches, both the American beech in the ravines and the copper beeches on estate lawns, are declining; Bergen County was where New Jersey first found the disease in 2020.
- Downtown Norway maples. The default street and yard tree of the older wards is short-lived, hollow at the base by 70 and a DEP-listed invasive. Many of the city's hazard removals are Norway maples over sidewalks.
- Overpeck flooding. The low Fourth Ward streets near the creek flood; saturated maples and willows there lean and fall in wind, and storm cleanup is a regular call.
What it costs in Englewood (2026)
| Job | Typical NJ price |
|---|---|
| Small tree, under 30 ft | $200 – $600 |
| Medium tree, 30 – 60 ft | $500 – $1,500 |
| Large tree, 60 – 80 ft | $1,000 – $2,500 |
| Crane removal over a house | $2,500 – $3,500+ |
| Tree trimming, mature tree | $450 – $700 |
| Stump grinding | $100 – $500 per stump |
Ranges are published 2026 New Jersey figures (T&D Tree's NJ cost guide and treecostremovalcalculator.com's NJ pages), not quotes from this site; some North Jersey companies publish higher 2026 ranges, which we compare in the Bergen County cost guide. Your number depends on the tree, the access and your town's permit.
Englewood's cost spread is the widest in the county: a Fourth Ward maple can be a mid-range climb job while an East Hill tulip tree over a house is a full crane day with a street permit. The waiver letter for one or two trees costs nothing but the project permit for three or more carries a bond and replanting or $300 per tree, so decide the count before you decide the contractor.
What we can line up in Englewood
Tree removal
Oaks over the roof, storm-split maples, dying ash: climbing, rigging and crane jobs.
Storm and emergency work
A tree on the house, the car or across the driveway, with the insurance paperwork you will need.
Is this tree dangerous?
A licensed look at a leaner, a cracked fork or a thinning crown before you decide.
Pruning and trimming
Deadwood out, clearance off the roof and the service line, weight off long limbs.
Stump grinding
Old stumps ground out so the spot can be lawn, patio or a replacement tree.
Lot and brush clearing
Overgrown back lots, pool and addition footprints, saplings and vines taken back to soil.
Streets and neighborhoods we cover around Englewood
We match homeowners in every ward: the East Hill and Jones Road, the Palisade Avenue and Engle Street center, the hospital neighborhood, Liberty Road and the Third Ward, and the Fourth Ward streets near Route 4 and Overpeck. Nearby we also cover Tenafly, Teaneck, Bergenfield, Fort Lee, Englewood Cliffs and Leonia.
How it works
- Describe the tree. Your town, what is wrong or what you want done, and a photo from the street if you can get one. A minute on the form.
- We hand it to one company that works your town. An independent Bergen County tree business registered with the NJ Board of Tree Experts and insured, picked because it actually covers your municipality and knows its permit.
- They come out and price it in writing. The company calls or texts you, looks at the tree, and gives you a written quote with no obligation. From there you deal with them directly.
Englewood tree questions
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Englewood, NJ?
For three or more trees 30 feet tall or 8 inches in diameter within five years, yes: a project permit from the City Engineer with a replacement plan and a bond. For one or two, your tree company sends the City Engineer a permit waiver letter on its letterhead. Emergency removals are exempt.
What does Englewood charge if I cannot replant?
At least $300 per required replacement tree into the Environmental Commission Tree Fund, at the City Engineer's discretion, under a project permit.
How much does tree removal cost in Englewood?
Published 2026 New Jersey ranges run about $200 to $600 for a small tree, $500 to $1,500 for a medium tree, $1,000 to $2,500 for a large one and $2,500 and up for crane work over a house, plus $100 to $500 per stump. East Hill estate trees are routinely at the crane end; downtown lots are climb-and-rig jobs.
Who handles the tree between the sidewalk and the street?
The City. Street trees are protected under Article I of Chapter 425, and any work on or around them needs the City Engineer's permit; report a dead or dangerous one to the Engineering Department.