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HOA Tree Removal in DFW: Getting Approval Before the Tree Comes Down

  • DFW homeowner guide
  • 7 minute read
  • By Daniel Sanchez, owner, Texas Tree Tops
  • Reviewed

The short answer. Most DFW cities we serve need no permit to remove a tree from an existing home lot, so your HOA is usually the approval that matters. Read your covenants and design guidelines for tree or landscaping rules. Send the committee photos, the species, the scope and a site sketch, and get a written yes before work starts.

Does your HOA have to approve a tree removal?

Usually, but check first. Of 81 DFW communities we checked, 18 publish a rule that reaches tree removal, 9 clearly do not, and the rest use general landscaping wording or keep documents behind a portal.

  • 18 publish a rule that reaches removal
  • 9 clearly do not
  • 54 general wording or a portal

Reviews tree removal

  • BridlewoodFlower Mound
  • Hackberry CreekIrving
  • Reata PlaceBenbrook
  • Hidden LakesKeller

Does not

Wellington of Flower Mound needs no application for planting or removing a tree. Voluntary groups such as Forest Hills in Dallas have no architectural review.

Search your declaration and design guidelines for "tree", "landscaping" and "improvement".

City tree permit or HOA approval: which one applies?

Around DFW, each city writes its own tree removal permit rules, and most leave an existing home lot alone.

No permit for an existing home

Fort Worth (one acre or less), Dallas (under two acres), Plano, Frisco, Allen, Irving, Coppell, Prosper, Lewisville, Denton, North Richland Hills, Flower Mound, Grand Prairie, Weatherford (under one acre), Keller and Aledo (homesteads to five acres), Argyle, Westlake, Trophy Club.

A permit for bigger or designated trees

Southlake from 10 inches on owner-occupied lots, McKinney for specimen trees of 42 inches, Grapevine and Willow Park for designated trees, Colleyville for heritage trees.

Extra layers

Dallas conservation districts, Highland Park parkway trees and Westlake roadway landscape zones.

Ask the city

Arlington, Haltom City, Burleson, Euless, Benbrook and Mansfield had no confirmed rule.

Then the HOA

Where the city leaves a home lot alone, the committee's written answer is the approval you need.

A rental can change the answer: Grapevine and Willow Park cover rentals.

For Fort Worth detail, see tree removal rules in Fort Worth. City rules from 33 places, checked September 30, 2026.
On this page
  1. How to file an HOA tree removal request
  2. What an HOA request contains
  3. Size triggers, replacement and required trees
  4. Dead, storm-damaged and dangerous trees
  5. How long review takes
  6. DFW HOA tree rules by area
  7. Find your HOA's ARC form
  8. HOA tree removal questions

How to file an HOA tree removal request

  1. 1

    Find the rule

    Pull the declaration and design guidelines from the HOA site or resident portal, and note any size trigger or replacement rule.

  2. 2

    Check the city

    Some towns want the HOA's letter first: Westlake asks for one before it issues a permit in its subdivisions.

  3. 3

    Fill in the form

    Photos, species, scope and a site sketch, as below.

  4. 4

    Submit it yourself

    Use the portal, manager email or PDF form your HOA names.

  5. 5

    Get the answer in writing

    Keep it, book the work, and plant any required replacement by the committee's date.

What an HOA tree removal request contains

These five items answer most committees.

HOA request checklist

  1. PhotosThe whole tree, the trunk base and the problem up close, plus one from the street.
  2. Tree IDSpecies and trunk size, measured where your rules say. Tour 18 and Hackberry Creek measure two feet up; Lakewood at four and a half feet.
  3. ScopeWhat comes out, why, and the stump plan. Timarron and Bridlewood want stumps out, and both ask for a site plan giving the reason.
  4. Site sketchLot, house, sidewalk and tree, with any replacement spot marked.
  5. Replacement planWhere required, a species from your HOA's list at the size it asks for.

Add a short cover letter signed by the owner.

Size triggers, replacement and required trees

Rule typeExampleWhere
Size triggersReata Place reviews any tree of 3 inches across. Bridlewood reviews healthy trees of 4 inches caliper. Tour 18 and Hackberry Creek start at 6 inches.Benbrook, Flower Mound, Irving
ReplacementTimarron's streetscape plan fixes the tree count per lot. Bridlewood and Craig Ranch want an unapproved removal replaced in like size. Harvest inspects in May and wants replacements by November 1.Southlake, Flower Mound, McKinney, Argyle
Required front-yard treesHidden Lakes keeps two trees between house and sidewalk. Las Colinas wants one of 4 inches caliper. Montserrat's landscape plans include two of 5 inches.Keller, Irving, Fort Worth
Species listsWalsh's tree manual names the approved street trees and bans topping. Mira Lagos publishes a pre-approved list, and Valley Ranch names trees it does not recommend.Aledo, Grand Prairie, Irving

Two layers can apply at once. A Hackberry Creek owner needs the village committee and then the Las Colinas Association, because Hackberry Creek is a village inside it.

Dead, storm-damaged and dangerous trees

A tree trunk fallen across a black car in a driveway after a storm
Storm damage is where the written exceptions matter. Photograph it before anything is moved.

  • HOA exceptions

    Bridlewood needs no approval for a dead or diseased tree, and Timarron allows emergency removal of a damaged or dangerous one.

  • City hazard paths

    Cities have their own hazard paths. Fort Worth can exempt an unsafe tree when its urban forestry administrator agrees, and Grand Prairie wants photos within 72 hours of an emergency removal.

  • Before the first cut

    Photograph the damage before anything is cut, and tell the HOA in writing the same day.

How long does architectural review take?

  • TimarronAbout 30 days for a Modifications Committee decision.
  • The Retreat at Stonebriar30 to 60 days, with a paid expedite option.
  • Bear CreekUp to 90 days for board review.
  • HeritageMonthly cycleRequests are due the last Wednesday of the month, and the committee meets the first Tuesday.
  • Your HOAAsk the managerIf yours publishes nothing, ask the manager before you plan around a date.

DFW HOA tree rules by area

Find your community, then open its form. Last checked September 2026.

  • RuleA published rule reaches removal
  • CheckCheck your guidelines
  • NoneVoluntary, or no tree review
The five DFW areas in the HOA directory: Northeast Tarrant, Denton and Collin, Dallas with Irving, Grand Prairie and Arlington, Fort Worth, and West and southKaufman County (outside our area)Collin CountyEllis County (outside our area)Rockwall County (outside our area)Parker CountyWise County (outside our area)Denton CountyJohnson CountyDallas CountySomervell County (outside our area)Hood County (outside our area)Tarrant CountyKeller: Northeast TarrantSouthlake: Northeast TarrantGrapevine: Northeast TarrantEuless: Northeast TarrantNorth Richland Hills: Northeast TarrantFlower Mound: Denton and CollinArgyle: Denton and CollinMcKinney: Denton and CollinProsper: Denton and CollinFrisco: Denton and CollinPlano: Denton and CollinCoppell: Denton and CollinLewisville: Denton and CollinDenton: Denton and CollinDallas: Dallas, Irving, Grand Prairie and ArlingtonIrving: Dallas, Irving, Grand Prairie and ArlingtonGrand Prairie: Dallas, Irving, Grand Prairie and ArlingtonArlington: Dallas, Irving, Grand Prairie and ArlingtonBenbrook: West and southWeatherford: West and southMansfield: West and southBurleson: West and southAllenHaltom CityWillow ParkAledoFort WorthNortheast TarrantDenton and CollinDallas, Irving,GP, ArlingtonFort WorthWest and south
Our towns in each area. The directory below lists the communities, with links to official documents where a rule is published.

Northeast Tarrant

Keller, Westlake, Trophy Club, Southlake, Colleyville, Grapevine, Euless, North Richland Hills2 with a published rule

Denton and Collin

Flower Mound, Argyle, McKinney, Prosper, Frisco, Plano, Coppell, Lewisville, Denton5 with a published rule

McKinneyProsperFrisco

Rule
  • Stonebridge Ranch
  • Craig Ranch
No approval, tree minimums
  • Windsong Ranch
Check
  • Tucker Hill
  • Star Trail
  • Phillips Creek Ranch
  • Retreat at Stonebriar
  • Starwood

Dallas, Irving, Grand Prairie and Arlington

Dallas, Irving, Grand Prairie, Arlington4 with a published rule

Fort Worth

Fort Worth5 with a published rule

Fort Worth, where we're based

Rule
Check
  • Mira Vista
  • Lake Country Estates
  • Secret Harbor
Voluntary or a town

Tanglewood and Monticello have no tree review. Westover Hills is its own town, so ask its building official.

West and south

Benbrook, Weatherford, Mansfield, Burleson2 with a published rule

Find your HOA's ARC form, then fill it in

Most associations publish an architectural review (ARC) form, and the directory above links every public one we found. Our written estimate names the tree, the work and the cleanup, which is what most ARC forms ask for.

  1. Find your community in the directory
  2. Open its ARC form or guidelines
  3. Get our free written estimate
  4. Attach it to the form
  5. You submit it, and keep the written yes

No form listed for your community? Ask the manager or check the resident portal; the same estimate works with any of them.

Get My Free Estimate Back to the HOA directory

HOA tree removal questions

Can my HOA stop me from removing a tree in my own yard?

It can if your recorded covenants or design guidelines give its committee a say over trees or landscaping. Then the removal waits for a written answer. Voluntary associations, and HOAs like Wellington that exempt trees, have no say. Your own documents decide.

Does HOA approval replace the city permit?

No. They are two answers from two bodies, and a town may want the HOA letter first, as Westlake does. Dallas conservation districts add a third: in Lakewood, a mature front-yard tree needs the building official's approval on top of any association rule. Check every layer before a crew is booked.

Can you submit the request to my HOA for me?

You submit it. Most portals and forms are set up for the owner, and the answer comes back to you. What we add is the written estimate, which names the tree, the work and the cleanup, for you to attach.

What happens if a tree came out without approval?

Expect a replacement. Bridlewood and Craig Ranch require a new tree of like size, and Harvest treats an unapproved removal as a reason to replace. Agree the species and size with the committee in writing.

Do I need approval just to trim?

Often not; Mira Lagos exempts routine trimming. Harvest and Valley Ranch set sidewalk clearance heights instead, and Walsh bans topping. Heavy cuts are another matter: Walsh's WRC reviews selective thinning the same way it reviews a removal, and Crown Valley's ACC asks for a request before any modification to the property.

Sources

  1. Bridlewood HOA, Design Guidelines (2023)
  2. Wellington of Flower Mound, ACC exemptions
  3. Timarron, Design Review Guidelines (2025)
  4. Hidden Lakes, tree guidelines
  5. Hackberry Creek, design guidelines
  6. Las Colinas Association, ACC guidelines
  7. Westlake, HOA approval letters FAQ
  8. Reata Place, covenants
  9. Walsh Tree Manual
  10. Harvest, tree replacement
  11. Heritage HOA, architectural review
  12. Dallas, Lakewood CD Tract IV
  13. Fort Worth Zoning Ordinance, Sec. 6.302
  14. Grand Prairie UDC Article 8

We link each HOA's own documents and never copy or rehost them.

Oak wilt

Where it is confirmed around DFW, and the signs by oak type.

Tree pruning guide

Where each cut goes, and why a topped tree grows back weak.

Oak tree trimming

Once the committee says yes, oak cuts still wait for July to January.

Serving on the board? See commercial tree service for HOA common areas, or browse all tree care guides.

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