Tree Protection in Cary, NC (2026)
3 verified tree protection rules for Cary, North Carolina, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Heritage & Protected Trees
Cary's Land Development Ordinance bars removal of any designated 'champion tree' during development unless narrow, staff- or ZBA-approved criteria are met, protecting the town's largest and most significant trees.
Cary Champion Tree Protection
Significant RestrictionsCary Land Development Ordinance § 7.2.5(A)(2)
No champion tree may be disturbed or removed except as specifically allowed by this Ordinance. Preserved champion trees and their associated tree protection areas must be shown on development plans and reuse/redevelopment plans as located in a buffer, streetscape, private open space, or other designated permanent tree protection area. In addition, champion trees permitted to be included on a re...
Protected Tree Species
Cary's Land Development Ordinance protects large 'champion trees', individual trees above set caliper thresholds by species, and bars removing or disturbing one during development except as the ordinance specifically allows.
Cary NC Champion Tree Protection Rule
Significant RestrictionsCary Land Development Ordinance §§ 12.4, 7.2.5(A)(2) (current through Ord. No. 2025-CODE-02, eff. 5-22-2025)
CHAMPION TREE: Any single tree other than a sweet gum that measures: (a) forty (40) caliper inches or greater for pines; (b) thirty-two (32) caliper inches or greater for all upper story trees other than pines; or twelve (12) caliper inches or greater for dogwood, horticultural cherry, redbud, silverbell, and serviceberry... No champion tree may be disturbed or removed except as specifically al...
Parkway Planting
Cary's Land Development Ordinance requires new development to plant upper-story shade trees along street frontage, spacing them no more than 40 feet apart within the required streetscape buffer.
Cary NC Street Tree Planting Standards
Some RestrictionsCary Land Development Ordinance § 7.2.4(D)(2)(a) (current through Ord. No. 2025-CODE-02, eff. 5-22-2025)
The property owner or developer shall install three (3) upper-story trees at least two (2) inches in caliper for each one hundred (100) linear feet of streetscape. The maximum spacing between upper-story trees shall be forty (40) feet. (b) If existing trees that meet the intent of the upper-story tree requirement are preserved, then the requirement shall be reduced proportionally....
Looking for Wake County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Cary city rules.
Tree Protection in Wake County →