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Honeylocust: mature size, roots and how far from the house to plant it
Honeylocust, Gleditsia triacanthos: how big it gets, what its roots do, and the planting distances to keep from a house, patio, septic field, sewer line and power lines, with a checker for your spot.
Honeylocust grows 60–80 ft tall and 60–80 ft wide, per NC State Extension. Plant it at least 40 ft from the house, 10 ft from a patio or driveway, 80 ft from a septic field and 20 ft from a sewer line. It grows too tall for under power lines. Checked Nov. 13, 2026.
Is your spot far enough away?
| House | — |
| Patio, driveway or walk | — |
| Septic field | — |
| Sewer line | — |
| Power lines | — |
Measure from the trunk. The rules behind each number are in the table below. Your township, utility or septic permit can set its own setbacks.
Honeylocust facts
| Mature height | 60–80 ft |
|---|---|
| Mature width | 60–80 ft |
| Size class | Large |
| Growth rate | Rapid |
| Hardiness zones | 3a–8b |
| Light | Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) |
| Soil | Clay; Good Drainage |
| Form | Arching |
| Origin | Central and Eastern North America, NC to Mexico |
| Fall color | Cream/Tan |
From NC State Extension. Its zone range includes zone 6, which covers most of central Pennsylvania; check your own with our hardiness zone by ZIP tool.
Honeylocust roots
No root warning found.
How far to plant honeylocust from things
| From | Plant at least | The rule |
|---|---|---|
| House or building | 40 ft | Half the mature canopy width (eXtension) |
| Patio, driveway or walk | 10 ft | Large shade trees need at least 10 ft of rooting area (Iowa State) |
| Septic drain field | 80 ft | At least the root spread, estimated from mature height (Virginia Cooperative Extension), or the canopy width (University of Florida), and no closer than 20 ft for small trees (UMaine) |
| Sewer line or lateral | 20 ft | “Do not plant trees within 20 feet” of a sewer line (PA Water Environment Association) |
| Overhead power lines | 50 ft | Tall-growing trees at least 50 ft from lines (PPL Electric) |
| Retaining wall | 40 ft | At least 5 ft from the wall, with the canopy edge behind the wall (CMHA) |
Distances use the top of the size range, measured from the trunk. The full sources are in our tree planting distance guide.
Other large trees
50–70 ft tall, 30–50 ft wide. Plant 25 ft from the house.
40–60 ft tall, 35–45 ft wide. Plant 23 ft from the house.
60–75 ft tall, 40–50 ft wide. Plant 25 ft from the house.
60–70 ft tall, 40–50 ft wide. Plant 25 ft from the house.
60–75 ft tall, 60–75 ft wide. Plant 38 ft from the house.
50–80 ft tall, 100 ft wide. Plant 50 ft from the house.
How to identify honeylocust
| Leaf type | Alternate, compound leaves |
|---|---|
| Leaves | Compound leaves 5 to 8 inches long with 15 to 30 small leaflets, or twice-compound; leaflets 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches long. |
| Bark | Smooth gray-brown with sideways lines when young, later long narrow curling plates. |
| Fruit | Flat, leathery red-brown pods 6 to 8 inches long that dry and twist, full of shiny brown seeds. |
| Twigs | Zigzag red-brown to light brown twigs. |
The Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program (PNHP) lists honeylocust as introduced to Pennsylvania, with an unconfirmed chance that it also grew here naturally.
Look-alikes: Mimosa, Black locust, Kentucky coffeetree.
Identification notes from the Virginia Tech Dendrology fact sheet, in our own words; status from the PNHP PA Vascular Plant List. See all 140 trees in our Pennsylvania tree identification guide.
Questions
How big does honeylocust get?
Honeylocust grows 60–80 ft tall and 60–80 ft wide at maturity, per NC State Extension. Growth rate: rapid.
How far from the house should you plant honeylocust?
At least 40 ft, half of its 60–80 ft mature width, so the canopy clears the house. Keep it 10 ft from a patio or driveway.
Do honeylocust roots damage foundations, patios or pipes?
No root warning found.
What zones does honeylocust grow in?
Honeylocust is listed for USDA zones 3a–8b by NC State Extension. That includes zone 6, which covers most of central Pennsylvania.
Can honeylocust go under power lines?
No. At 60–80 ft it outgrows the 25 ft limit for trees under lines; PPL says to plant tall-growing trees at least 50 ft from lines.
Sources: NC State Extension (Gleditsia triacanthos); planting distances from the sources in our tree planting distance guide: eXtension, Morton Arboretum, Iowa State, University of Florida, Virginia Cooperative Extension, UMaine, PA Water Environment Association, PPL Electric, WV Forestry and CMHA. Checked Nov. 13, 2026.
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