Invasive Plant Rules in Forsyth County, GA (2026)

3 rules for unincorporated Forsyth County, Georgia.

Verified from official government sources

Note: These county rules apply to unincorporated areas of Forsyth County. If you live within an incorporated city, that city's own rules apply: see the city list below.

Bamboo Restrictions

Forsyth County bars new plantings of Nandina domestica (sacred bamboo) and Phyllostachys aurea (golden bamboo) within the Coal Mountain Overlay District under UDC Sec. 21-12.5(B)(7). Both are named on the overlay's 38-species prohibited planting list alongside kudzu and Chinese privet, enforced through the district's mandatory landscape design review.

Forsyth County Bamboo Planting Ban

Some Restrictions

Forsyth County, GA, Unified Development Code § 21-12.5(B)(7)

(7) The following shall not be planted within the Coal Mountain Overlay District: ... Murdannia keisak (marsh dayflower) Nandina domestica (sacred bamboo) Paulownia tomentosa (princess tree) Phyllostachys aurea (golden bamboo) Pinus (pine) Pueraria Montana var. lobata (kudzu) ...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Prohibited Species

Forsyth County's Unified Development Code bans 38 named invasive and nuisance plant species from new landscaping in the Coal Mountain Overlay District, a mapped area of northern unincorporated Forsyth County. UDC Sec. 21-12.5(B)(7) lists everything from kudzu and Chinese privet to English ivy and multiflora rose, and every landscape plan filed for the overlay must avoid the full list.

Forsyth County Invasive Plant Ban List

Some Restrictions

Forsyth County, GA, Unified Development Code § 21-12.5(B)(7)

(7) The following shall not be planted within the Coal Mountain Overlay District: Ailanthus altissima (tree-of-heaven) Albizia julibrissin (mimosa) Alternanthera philoxeroides (alligator weed) ... Hedera helix (English ivy) ... Ligustrum japonicum (Japanese privet) Ligustrum sinense (Chinese privet) Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle) Lonicera maackii (amur honeysuckle) ... Nandina domesti...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Tree-of-Heaven Removal

Ailanthus altissima, tree-of-heaven, is the first species named on Forsyth County's banned-plant list for the Coal Mountain Overlay District. UDC Sec. 21-12.5(B)(7) prohibits planting it anywhere within the overlay, alongside mimosa and 36 other invasive or nuisance species, as part of the district's mandatory landscape review.

Forsyth County Tree-of-Heaven Planting Ban

Some Restrictions

Forsyth County, GA, Unified Development Code § 21-12.5(B)(7)

(7) The following shall not be planted within the Coal Mountain Overlay District: Ailanthus altissima (tree-of-heaven) Albizia julibrissin (mimosa) Alternanthera philoxeroides (alligator weed) Cupressocyparis leyandii (leyland cypress) Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth)

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

All Forsyth County ordinances

See every category we cover for Forsyth County: parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.

Forsyth County Ordinance Hub →