Permits guide
Kennett Township Clearing and Timber Harvest Permits
Kennett Township publishes a timber harvest permit application with its ordinance text. Here is what it says, and what to ask about mulching.
Kennett Township requires a timber harvest permit and an approved plan for commercial disturbance of more than one half acre of woodland. Its permit form also calls for a grading permit above 5,000 square feet and a Conservation District erosion plan. Removal of listed invasive species is excluded from woodland disturbance. Ask how mulching is classified.
Last checked: October 2026
What the township's application says
Kennett Township, Chester County, publishes a Timber Harvest Permit Application that includes the text of Ordinance No. 158, which amended the township's zoning and subdivision ordinances. The application states that before the permit is issued, an erosion and sediment control plan must be submitted by the applicant to the County Conservation District for review, recommendation and approval, and that the permit must be applied for in conjunction with the county's erosion and sediment control process.
The ordinance defines a timber harvesting operation as the disturbance for commercial purposes, and in compliance with an approved timber harvesting plan, of more than one half acre of woodland on any lot, whether in a single operation or cumulatively in successive operations within a three year period. It states that removal of dead or diseased trees or nonnative invasive species, cutting trees for personal firewood or as part of a Christmas tree farming operation, and clearing in accordance with an approved subdivision or land development plan or building permit are not considered a timber harvesting operation. It also says forestry as defined by the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code is a timber harvesting operation and requires an approved plan.
Woodland, woodland disturbance and the invasive exclusion
The ordinance defines woodland as a tree mass or plant community covering one quarter acre or more in which trees are dominant or co-dominant and the canopy is complete or nearly complete. It defines woodland disturbance as any activity that alters the existing structure of a woodland or hedgerow, including the cutting or removal of canopy trees, sub canopy trees, understory shrubs and vines, and woodland floor species, and any activity that exposes soils or alters topography within a woodland or hedgerow.
Woodland disturbance does not include removal of vegetation that constitutes hazardous conditions, or selective cutting or removal of the invasive species the ordinance names: multiflora rose, autumn olive, Japanese honeysuckle, oriental bittersweet, Norway maple, kudzu and mile-a-minute weed. That list matters for owners clearing thickets, and it is the township's wording, not ours. Plant guides for several of those species are on this site under Plants.
What a timber harvesting plan has to show
- A plan submitted to the township not less than 21 days before the operation starts, with the Codes Enforcement Officer indicating approval, denial or approval with conditions within 14 days of submission.
- Site location and boundaries, natural features such as steep slopes, wetlands and riparian buffer zones, and the township's woodland classification for the area.
- Access design including haul roads, skid roads, skid trails and landings, and water control measures such as culverts, broad-based dips, filter strips and water bars.
- Any permits required by other agencies, with copies sent to the township before work starts.
- Practices including no felling or skidding across a public thoroughfare without written consent, no tops or slash within 25 feet of a public or private road, and removal of litter before the operator leaves.
The ordinance also sets canopy retention percentages by woodland class and riparian zone, bars timber harvesting in the inner riparian buffer, and bars clear-cutting in the outer riparian buffer. The inner buffer is at least 35 feet wide on each side of a watercourse, and the outer zone runs out to 100 feet. Ask the township for the woodland class of your parcel before planning any removal.
Documents the permit application lists
- A completed application and a forest management plan with a scaled plan showing boundaries, work areas, topography, soils, vegetation and watercourses.
- A description of the proposed operation and the planned replanting of the lot, with start and finish dates.
- A soil erosion and sediment plan under Commonwealth rules, and a stormwater management design.
- Proof of contractor workers' compensation coverage or a notarized exemption form.
- A Highway Occupancy Permit if the property is on a township road.
- A grading permit, submitted with the application, if the total area of disturbance exceeds 5,000 square feet.
The application states the township has 15 days to review and issue a permit invoice after receiving a complete submission.
Mulching and the open questions
The township's definitions turn on commercial purpose, the one half acre line and an approved plan, and its woodland disturbance definition reaches cutting or removal of canopy trees, understory shrubs and vines. Whether a forestry mulching job on a wooded parcel is handled as a timber harvesting operation, as woodland disturbance, or as outside both, is not answered in the pages we read, so we do not say. Ask the township in writing, with acreage, woodland class, species and method.
We read this text from the township's published application. The township's code is also published on Municode, codified through Ordinance No. 315 of December 17, 2025, and we could not open that current text to confirm nothing has changed since Ordinance No. 158. The township site also lists Ordinance 160, Woodland Protection, which we did not read in full. Treat both as items to confirm.
How this fits with the state rules
State rules apply too. Pennsylvania's Chapter 102 requires erosion and sediment controls on any earth disturbance and a written plan at 5,000 square feet or more, and the Chester County Conservation District reviews plans. Our questions page for the District lists what to bring. We schedule only after the owner has the township and District answers in hand.
Questions about this page
Sources: Kennett Township, Timber Harvest Permit Application with Ordinance No. 158, 25 Pa. Code 102.4, Erosion and sediment control requirements, Chester County Conservation District, District Services Application. This is general information, confirm with the township or agency.
Does Kennett Township require a permit to harvest timber?
The township publishes a Timber Harvest Permit Application. Its ordinance defines a timber harvesting operation as commercial disturbance of more than one half acre of woodland on a lot, in one operation or cumulatively over three years, and requires an approved plan.
Is removing invasive plants regulated as woodland disturbance in Kennett?
The ordinance excludes selective cutting or removal of named invasive species from woodland disturbance, including multiflora rose, autumn olive, Japanese honeysuckle, oriental bittersweet, Norway maple, kudzu and mile-a-minute weed. Confirm how it applies to your site with the township.
When does Kennett require a grading permit with a timber harvest?
The township's permit application says a grading permit is required, and must be submitted with the application, if the total area of disturbance exceeds 5,000 square feet.
Is forestry mulching treated as a timber harvest in Kennett Township?
The pages we read do not say. Their definitions turn on commercial purpose, more than one half acre of woodland and an approved plan. Ask the township in writing how a mulching job on your parcel is classified.
Call, or send the details.
(484) 486-7272hello@huntlyland.com. Send the town, rough acreage and two or three photographs. We reply with site-walk times, and a written plan follows the walk.
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