Tree work in Lodi: what to expect
Lodi is a dense, flat borough on the Saddle River: two-family houses and small lots in the old mill-town center around Main Street and Garibaldi Avenue, 1950s capes on the hill toward Route 46 and Hasbrouck Heights, and apartment and commercial strips along Route 17 and Essex Street. Trees are fewer and younger than in northern Bergen, but the ones there are grew fast in the river soil: silver maples, cottonwoods and willows along the Saddle River and its brooks, Norway maples and pin oaks on the residential blocks.
The river defines the work. Lodi flooded badly in Floyd, Irene and Ida, and the trees along the Saddle River and Fleischer Brook have stood in moving water repeatedly; root failure and leaning trunks are the most common emergency. On the small lots, every removal is a rigging job with the chipper in the street.
Do you need a permit to remove a tree in Lodi?
Yes, for any tree 6 inches or more. Ordinance 2024-14C, adopted June 25, 2024 (Borough Code Chapter 8.70), is Lodi's version of the state model: anyone planning to remove a non-street tree 6 inches or more in diameter at breast height (a street tree at 2.5 inches) submits a tree removal application to the Zoning Officer and waits for approval. The application fee is $40 per size category. Healthy trees are replaced per the model table (one to four 1.5-inch trees), or $500 per tree where the borough agrees they cannot be planted. Residents removing fewer than four trees per acre in the three smaller categories within five years are exempt from replacement, and hazard trees, documented with photos or a licensed expert's statement, pay no fee and need no replacement. The police, zoning and code enforcement officers all enforce it.
Where to ask: Zoning Officer, Lodi Borough Hall, 1 Memorial Drive, Room 204, 973-859-7465 (Borough main line 973-365-4005). Source: Borough Code Chapter 8.70, Tree Removal and Replacement (ecode360) and lodi-nj.org Zoning Department 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 Lodi
- Flood-weakened river trees. Cottonwoods, willows and silver maples along the Saddle River and Fleischer Brook that have been through the big floods lean and drop limbs; a new lean after a storm is urgent.
- Norway maples on small lots. Short-lived, decaying at the base, and hanging over two houses at once; the typical Lodi removal.
- Trees of heaven and lanternflies. Tree of heaven grows along the tracks, the highways and fence lines; it is the spotted lanternfly's host and comes out cheaply.
- Limbs on PSE&G drops. On the older blocks the service line runs through the crown of the yard tree; the utility clears its line, the tree company handles the rest.
What it costs in Lodi (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.
Lodi's $40 application is minor; the cost is the access. Two-family lots with no side yard mean climbing and roping for anything large, in the middle to upper part of each range. Hazard documentation is worth getting on a flood-damaged tree: it waives the fee and the replanting.
What we can line up in Lodi
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 Lodi
We match homeowners across the borough: Main Street and the Garibaldi Avenue center, the hill toward Terrace Avenue and Hasbrouck Heights, Essex Street, the Route 46 side, Kennedy Drive and the streets along the Saddle River. Nearby we also cover Garfield, Saddle Brook, Hasbrouck Heights, Hackensack, South Hackensack, Maywood and Rochelle Park.
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.
Lodi tree questions
Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Lodi, NJ?
Yes, since June 2024, for any tree 6 inches or more in diameter at breast height: an application to the Zoning Officer (973-859-7465), $40, approved before the tree comes down. Hazard trees documented in writing pay no fee.
Do I have to plant a replacement tree in Lodi?
Not if you are a resident removing fewer than four trees per acre (smaller categories) in five years, or if the tree is a documented hazard. Otherwise one to four replacement trees by size, or $500 per tree in lieu.
How much does tree removal cost in Lodi?
Published 2026 New Jersey ranges: 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 or more when a crane is needed, plus $100 to $500 per stump. Lodi's tight lots keep most jobs mid-range or above.
A tree along the river is leaning toward my house after the flood. What do I do?
Treat it as an emergency: photograph it, keep people out from under it, and have a licensed tree expert look the same day. A documented hazard removal in Lodi needs no fee or replacement, but it still goes through the Zoning Officer's application unless it is an imminent danger.