Delaware County · PA · Estates & Conservation Properties division
Forestry mulching and land clearing in Upper Chichester, PA
In Upper Chichester, no one may place fill on a property without first securing a township grading permit.
Yes. Huntly Land Co. works in Upper Chichester, PA. In Upper Chichester, no one may place fill on a property without first securing a township grading permit, and no one may cut, injure or remove a shade tree, or interfere with its main roots, without a permit. Every job starts with a private site walk.
What the Upper Chichester code says
Upper Chichester covers about 6.7 square miles of land (US Census), roughly 8 miles from our Chadds Ford base. These are the town rules that most often shape a clearing, mulching or grading scope here, quoted from the code itself.
- 1.
Grading permit for fill
Section 334-3 of the Chapter 334 Grading and Excavating reads: “No person shall place any fill on his property without first securing a grading permit.”
Source: Upper Chichester Township Code, Chapter 334 Grading and Excavating, Section 334-3
- 2.
Shade tree permit
Section 112-10 of the Chapter 112 Shade Tree Commission reads: “No person shall, without first obtaining a permit therefor, cut, break, climb with spurs, injure in any manner or remove any shade tree or cut down or interfere in any way with the main roots of any shade tree”
Source: Upper Chichester Township Code, Chapter 112 Shade Tree Commission, Section 112-10
- 3.
No fill in the floodplain without a variance
Section 600-132 of the Chapter 600 Zoning, Article XVII Floodplain Conservation Overlay District. reads: “Within any identified floodplain area, the use of fill shall be prohibited, unless approved as a variance.”
- 4.
50-foot riparian buffer
Section 490-24 of the Chapter 490 Stormwater Management, Article III Stormwater Management reads: “Except as required by Chapter 102, if a perennial or intermittent stream passes through, or a water body (i.e., lake, pond, wetland) is present on the site, the applicant shall create a riparian buffer extending a minimum of 50 feet, to either side of the top-of-bank of the channel, lake, or wetland.”
Offices for a Upper Chichester site
| Question | Office |
|---|---|
| Sediment and stormwater / erosion review | Delaware County Conservation District (Chapter 102 erosion and sediment control, NPDES) |
| Township or borough office | Upper Chichester Township office |
| State erosion and sediment rules | 25 Pa. Code Chapter 102 (DEP) |
Upper Chichester questions, answered
Does Upper Chichester require a grading permit?
No one may place fill on a property without first securing a township grading permit (Section 334-3).
Does Upper Chichester regulate timber harvesting or tree removal?
No one may cut, injure or remove a shade tree, or interfere with its main roots, without a permit (Section 112-10).
Nearby pages
Cost, permits and the ground
Code summaries are general guidance, not legal advice; Huntly confirms the rules that apply to each parcel before work.
What shapes the cost of land clearing in Upper Chichester, PA?
Density and stem size, ground and terrain, access and staging, finish standard, resource plan, stewardship and schedule. Haul-off of non-organic debris, stump grinding below grade, permits and licensed applications are quoted as separate visible lines. Every job is priced in writing after a private site walk, and the walk carries no charge inside the service region.
Do I need a permit for land clearing in Upper Chichester, PA?
Often. Pennsylvania requires a written erosion and sediment control plan for earth disturbance of 5,000 square feet or more (25 Pa. Code § 102.4), and the Delaware County Conservation District reviews plans and NPDES coverage for larger disturbances. The Upper Chichester rules on this page come on top of that. Whether a mulching-only scope counts as earth disturbance is a question for the township and the district, and we confirm it for each parcel before work.
Is forestry mulching better than bulldozing?
For most brush and small-tree work, yes. Mulching leaves roots in the ground and a chip layer on the surface, so slopes stay put, stream-adjacent ground stays stable, and there are no burn piles or haul-off loads. A buildable surface, root-ball removal, grading or drainage work may call for a broader clearing or excavation plan.
More about Upper Chichester Township, Delaware County, PA
Regulatory notes are general guidance; Huntly confirms the rules that apply to each site before work.
Who approves land clearing or earth disturbance in Upper Chichester Township, PA?
Start with the Upper Chichester Township office for local zoning and permits. Pennsylvania Chapter 102 sets a written erosion and sediment control plan at 5,000 square feet of earth disturbance and an NPDES permit at 1 acre or more. As general guidance, mulching in place often disturbs little soil. Huntly confirms the rule that applies to each site before work.
Can I burn brush piles in Upper Chichester Township, Delaware County, PA?
Burning rules in Pennsylvania are set by the municipality, so check with Upper Chichester Township before lighting anything. Huntly's mulch-in-place method needs no burn permit because the brush is ground up on the spot by forestry mulching instead of piled and burned. Huntly confirms the rule that applies to each site before work.
What grows wild and takes over land around Upper Chichester Township, Delaware County, PA?
Typical for Delaware County: multiflora rose, autumn olive, bush honeysuckle, Oriental bittersweet and Japanese stiltgrass. These crowd out pasture, fence lines and woodland edges around Upper Chichester Township. Huntly clears them with a drum mulcher and quotes any follow-up herbicide by a licensed applicator as a separate visible line.
Is there cost-share money for clearing invasives in Upper Chichester Township, PA?
Often, yes. As general guidance, landowners can ask the local USDA service center about NRCS EQIP. Pennsylvania's EQIP list covers brush management (practice 314, mechanical, large shrubs); the per-acre rate is set each year, so ask the district conservationist for the current figure. Eligibility, practice rules and sign-up dates apply, and enrollment comes before work starts. Huntly confirms the rule that applies to each site before work.
Does Huntly serve Upper Chichester Township, Delaware County, PA, and what does a site walk cost?
Yes, Upper Chichester Township is inside Huntly's service region. The site walk is free, and every job is priced in writing after the walk. Mobilization is quoted on the estimate for long hauls. Call (484) 486-7272 or email hello@huntlyland.com.
Who do I call after a storm in Upper Chichester Township, Delaware County, PA?
Call Huntly's 24/7 storm line at (484) 486-7272 for downed trees across lanes, fields and fence lines. We clear with a grapple and a Cat 285XE. If a tree is on a house, a power line or other structure, call a tree service or the utility first, then us for the cleanup.
Where these facts come from
Sources: Upper Chichester Township Code, Chapter 334 Grading and Excavating, Section 334-3 · Upper Chichester Township Code, Chapter 112 Shade Tree Commission, Section 112-10 · Upper Chichester Township Code, Chapter 600 Zoning, Article XVII Floodplain Conservation Overlay District., Section 600-132 · Upper Chichester Township Code, Chapter 490 Stormwater Management, Article III Stormwater Management, Section 490-24 · 25 Pa. Code § 102.4, erosion and sediment control requirements
Last checked: October 2026.
Permits and rules
Clearing in Upper Chichester can need a sediment and stormwater plan or a local approval. Start here:
Send us the details.
hello@huntlyland.comSend the town, rough acreage and two or three photographs. We reply by email with site-walk times, and a written scope follows the walk.
Office hours Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. On call 24/7 for storm and emergency cleanup. If anyone is in danger, call 911 first.