Tree Protection in Forsyth County, GA (2026)

2 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.

Heritage & Protected Trees

Forsyth County flags specimen, landmark and historic trees as protected 'significant trees' under Code of Ordinances § 86-57. Landmark and historic status comes from the Georgia Tree Council's state register; specimen status turns on fixed trunk-diameter thresholds by species, and removal without county arborist sign-off triggers replacement penalties up to eight times the tree's assigned unit value.

Forsyth County Heritage Tree Protection Rules

Significant Restrictions

Forsyth County, GA, Code of Ordinances §§ 86-33, 86-57, 86-58 (Ord. No. 98-E, 5-6-2021)

Significant trees are composed of specimen, landmark and historic tree, or any tree deemed by the county arborist, a registered forester or a registered landscape architect to be of a rare or unusual species. Criteria for determining specimen, historic, and landmark trees can be found below: Size Criteria for Specimen Trees. SPECIMEN TREES SIZE CRITERIA Overstory Hardwood Trees 18-inch DBH Pine...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Parkway Planting

Forsyth County's Unified Development Code encourages, but does not require, street tree plantings inside Conservation Subdivisions. UDC § 19-6.1(J) lets developers plant street trees along interior roads only where the Director of Engineering confirms they will not create a traffic safety hazard. No comparable street-tree or parkway-planting mandate applies to conventional subdivisions built under Chapter 18 or the Chapter 11 residential districts.

Forsyth County Street Tree Planting Rules

Few Restrictions

Forsyth County, GA, Unified Development Code § 19-6.1(J)

Street Trees. Street tree plantings are encouraged, provided that they are located so as not to present a traffic safety hazard, as determined by the Director of Engineering.

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

All Forsyth County ordinances

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