Tree Protection in Charlotte, NC (2026)
3 verified tree protection rules for Charlotte, North Carolina, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Heritage & Protected Trees
Charlotte's UDO Section 20.14 places a protection duty on heritage trees whenever a lot undergoes new principal construction, a built-upon-area increase of 5% or 1,000 square feet, or a standard or minor subdivision. Inside the city limits and extraterritorial jurisdiction, qualifying heritage trees must be protected "to the greatest extent possible," and property owners must maintain them and never top them.
Heritage Tree Protection Duty in Charlotte
Significant RestrictionsCharlotte UDO § 20.14.A-B (Heritage Trees, Applicability and Protection)
A. Applicability The requirements of this section shall apply to development activity, including grading in anticipation of such development, within the corporate limits of the City and the City's extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), whenever development would result in any of the following: 1. New construction of a principal structure. 2. Cumulative increase in built-upon area (BUA) or buildin...
Protected Tree Species
Charlotte's Unified Development Ordinance protects "heritage trees": any tree species native to North Carolina under the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Plants Database that has grown to a trunk diameter (DBH) of 30 inches or greater. There is no fixed species list. That single measurable threshold in UDO Section 2.3 decides which trees trigger removal-permit and mitigation duties under Section 20.14.
Heritage Tree Species Threshold in Charlotte
Some RestrictionsCharlotte UDO § 2.3 (General Definitions, "Heritage Tree")
Heritage Tree. Any tree native to North Carolina per the US Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service Plants Database with a DBH of 30 inches or greater.
Parkway Planting
New single-family, duplex, triplex, or quadraplex homes in Charlotte must plant street-facing trees under UDO Section 20.16: one large-maturing tree per 40 feet of lot width or one small-maturing tree per 30 feet, set between the house and the public right-of-way, with at least one tree required on every lot.
Charlotte Frontage Tree Planting Rules
Some RestrictionsCharlotte UDO § 20.16(A)
Construction of a new single-family, duplex, triplex or quadraplex structure, except as part of an approval of a standard subdivision as defined by Section 30.3.A, approval of a minor subdivision as defined by Section 30.3.D, or as part of a multi-dwelling development, shall be required to plant a minimum of one large maturing tree for every 40 feet of lot width or one small maturing tree for e...