For tree services and land clearers

The Clearing Limit, Drawn to the Ordinance.

Tree removal and land-clearing permits ask for a drawing most tree companies have never had to make: the lot, the house, the trees to be removed, and the clearing limit the ordinance allows around the structure. PlotForge™ loads the recorded lot from the address, drops the house on it, and draws the tree-clearing limit at the distance you enter, hatched, with its area totaled and a legend that carries your ordinance's wording.

What does a site plan for a tree removal permit need to show?

A site plan for a tree removal or clearing permit shows the property lines with dimensions, the house and other structures, the trees to be removed marked and labeled, and the clearing limit or protected buffer drawn at the distance the ordinance sets. Where the office protects trees by size, the sheet notes the species and trunk diameter. PlotForge™ draws it from the address.

What the reviewer looks for on a tree removal site plan

Tree ordinances vary more than most codes, but the drawing they ask for has a shape: the structure, the allowed clearing zone around it, and what is being taken outside that zone, with a reason. The sheet has to show the zone to scale:

The lot, dimensioned — the recorded property lines with every side's length, loaded from the address

The house and structures — placed from public footprint records in one click, so the clearing limit measures from the real walls

The clearing limit — a dashed limit drawn at the ordinance distance around the house, labeled with the distance, the band hatched

The trees — one click per tree at its canopy width, with a note for species and diameter where the office protects by size

The area — the clearing area totals in the on-sheet takeoff, with a legend that prints your ordinance's wording

Access and staging — a zone for the staging area and the equipment path, and any easement the crew must respect

How a tree service draws the permit site plan

Type the address

The recorded lot loads to scale on the aerial with the owner and parcel number filled in.

Add the house

One click places the house and outbuildings from public records.

Draw the clearing limit

Pick Clear, enter the ordinance distance and click the house. The dashed ring draws, hatches and totals, with its legend.

Mark the trees and export

Click each tree to be removed at its canopy width, note species and size, and export the to-scale PDF.

The tools tree services use

Tree-clearing bufferSet a distance and click the house: the dashed limit draws that far out, the band hatches, the area totals, and the legend carries your ordinance wording. Its own CAD layer.How it works → Trees & shrub rowsTrees one click each at the canopy width you set, drawn like a drafter draws them, so the ones to be removed read clearly.How it works → Auto-add existing buildingsThe house and outbuildings from public records in one click, so the limit measures from the real walls.How it works → Freeform zones & areasA staging area, a protected grove or a wetland buffer as a labeled zone with a dashed outline and a hatch.How it works → Text notes & calloutsSpecies, trunk diameter and the reason for removal, written where the reviewer looks.How it works → Print this viewOn acreage, print the part of the lot around the house at a set scale instead of the whole parcel.How it works →

Which plan fits a tree service

Clearing permits every month

Contractor, $199/mo

Twenty permit-ready plans a month, every drawing tool, plans saved per job. See Contractor.

The occasional permit

Starter Pack, 3 plans for $49

Three clean exports, no subscription, credits that never expire. Draw the first one on the free 30-day trial. Compare plans.

The land-clearing contract

Site Feasibility Report

Before clearing a building site, a one-click report screens the parcel for wetlands, flood zone, slope and soils from public data. One plan credit. See the report.

▶ Watch the lessonTree Clearing Limits on a Site Plan ▶ Watch the lessonAdd Existing Buildings to a Site Plan in One Click ▶ Watch the lessonZones and Revision Clouds on a Site Plan

Tree services FAQ

Do I need a permit to remove a tree?

It depends on where the tree is and how big it is. Many cities and counties permit removal of trees above a set trunk diameter, protected species, or any tree on a lot in certain zoning districts, and nearly all regulate clearing for a new building site. The permit application usually asks for a site plan showing the trees and the allowed clearing area.

How does the clearing limit work?

Enter the distance your ordinance allows around the structure and click the house. PlotForge draws a dashed limit that far out around it, labels it with the distance, hatches the band, totals the area in the takeoff and prints a legend you can word the way the ordinance does.

Can I mark which trees are coming out?

Yes. Place a tree symbol at each one at its canopy width and add a note with species, diameter and the reason. Trees to remain can be drawn too, so the reviewer sees what stays.

The lot is twenty acres. Do I have to draw the whole thing?

No. Use Print this view to print the part of the parcel around the house at a set scale, and hide the setbacks that do not matter.

Can I check a lot for wetlands before I bid a clearing job?

Yes. The Site Feasibility Report screens the parcel for mapped wetlands, flood zone, slope and soils from public data and names every source on the sheet. It is a screening from public records, not a wetland delineation.

Is a PlotForge™ site plan a survey?

No. The property lines are the recorded parcel lines from public records, drawn to scale over an aerial photo. That is what most building departments accept for a permit site plan, and it is not a boundary survey or an engineered drawing. If your office requires a sealed survey for this project, PlotForge can trace that recorded survey as the boundary and the sheet prints a notice saying so.

Does it work where I am?

PlotForge™ covers all 50 states and Washington, D.C.; the only exceptions in the country are named on the coverage page. It is also expanding into Canada, starting with select counties in Ontario and Alberta. The most reliable check is free: sign up, type the address, and watch the lot load.

Draw the tree removal site plan in minutes

Load the lot, add the house, draw the clearing limit, mark the trees. Free for 30 days, no credit card required; a clean, permit-ready export is $29.

Start a Tree Removal Site Plan Free → See Every Drawing Tool