Official Vermont Tree and Utility Resources
A verified directory of municipal, utility, invasive-species, excavation and safety sources used in our Greater Burlington tree-care guidance.
Almost every tree question that is not about the tree itself belongs to a specific Vermont authority, and going to the right one first is faster than any search. Whether a tree is public or yours is answered by your municipality, through its tree warden — an office every Vermont town appoints. Whether you may remove it is a municipal zoning question about your specific parcel. Notification before excavation, which includes stump grinding and digging a planting hole, goes through Dig Safe. Current guidance on moving ash material comes from Vermont Invasives, and it changes as the infestation spreads. A blocked road is the town highway department, or the Agency of Transportation district on a numbered route. Anything involving a wire is the electric utility, and 911 if a conductor is down. Contractor registration is searchable at the Secretary of State.
Use the responsible authority for the latest rules, contacts and emergency information. These external resources open on the issuing organization’s website.
Which authority answers which question
Almost every question that is not about the tree itself belongs to one of these bodies. Going to the right one first is usually faster than any search.
| Question | Who answers it |
|---|---|
| Is this tree public or mine? | Your municipality — the tree warden |
| Can I remove it? | Municipal zoning, for your specific parcel |
| Do I need to notify before digging? | Dig Safe, before any excavation including grinding |
| Can I move this ash wood? | Vermont Invasives, at the time you decide |
| Who clears this road? | Town highway dept, or the VTrans district |
| A wire is involved | Your electric utility, and 911 if anything is down |
| Is this contractor registered? | Vermont Secretary of State, searchable online |
| Will clearing affect my tax status? | Use Value Appraisal programme, if enrolled |
Every one of these can change without telling anyone. Ask at the point of the decision, not from a page written earlier.
Which official body answers which question in Vermont.
Why link out instead of restating what these sources say?+
Because the issuing authority is current by definition and a copy is only current on the day it is made. Municipal requirements, ash-material guidance and excavation rules all change without telling us, and a page that restates them becomes confidently wrong at some point. Sending you to the source means the answer you get is the one in force today.
Who handles public trees in Vermont?+
Every municipality appoints a tree warden with authority over public shade trees in its ways. In Burlington that authority is exercised by the City Arborist. The practical test for whether a tree is theirs is where the trunk emerges relative to the right-of-way — which, on rural roads, commonly extends well behind the visible shoulder.
When do I have to call Dig Safe?+
Before excavation, and stump grinding is excavation. So is digging a planting hole. The notification marks the public utilities at no cost to you. What it does not cover is anything you or a previous owner installed — irrigation, invisible fence, low-voltage lighting, a feed to a shed, a well line, septic components. Those are yours to mark, and those are the ones that get hit.
Where is the current guidance on moving ash wood?+
Vermont Invasives is the state's public resource for emerald ash borer, including the position on moving ash material. Check it at the point you are making the decision rather than relying on remembered advice — including anything written on this site — because quarantine boundaries and recommendations have shifted as the infestation has spread.
Do I need a permit to remove a tree on my own land?+
Vermont requires no state removal permit for a tree standing wholly on private ground. The local layer is what varies: a municipal rule if part of the trunk is in the public strip, a conservation or overlay district condition, a recorded subdivision condition, or association covenants. Your town's zoning office is the source for the first three.
Who do I contact about a tree on a state highway?+
The Vermont Agency of Transportation district covering that road. Town and city streets go to the local public works or highway department. If you are unsure which a road is, call the town — they will either handle it or say who does, and that call is faster than working it out from a map.
What if a tree is touching a power line?+
The electric utility serving that address, and stay well back. Work inside the minimum approach distance to an energised conductor is restricted to line-clearance qualified personnel. An outage does not mean the line is de-energised — power can be restored remotely and a downed conductor can be backfed from elsewhere on the circuit.
Is there a Vermont requirement for tree contractors to be registered?+
Vermont requires residential contractors above a threshold to register with the Secretary of State, and that registration is publicly checkable online. It is a low bar and not a competence test, but its absence on a company that should have it is informative and takes a minute to check.
Where do safety standards for tree work come from?+
OSHA publishes the tree-care safety standards that govern how this work is supposed to be done, including the requirements around electrical hazards. Those are the reference behind statements on this site about approach distances and qualified personnel — they are regulatory limits rather than industry preferences.
What about land enrolled in Use Value Appraisal?+
Clearing or significant harvesting on land enrolled in Vermont's Use Value Appraisal programme can affect enrolment and carry a tax consequence. That is separate from any municipal or environmental permitting and it is easy to miss. Check before work is scheduled if the parcel is enrolled.
Who can help with tree planting and community forestry?+
Vermont Urban and Community Forestry supports municipal tree programmes, tree wardens and community planting, and is the general starting point for questions that are not about one specific parcel. For a specific tree on a specific property, a qualified arborist on site is the right resource.
How often is this list checked?+
The links are reviewed as part of the site's source review, and the review date appears on the guides that rely on them. If a link here is dead or points somewhere unexpected, reporting it through the contact form is genuinely useful — a broken link to an authority is worse than no link, because it suggests a check that did not happen.
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