Tree Protection in Hanover County, VA (2026)
3 rules for unincorporated Hanover County, Virginia.
Verified from official government sources
Heritage & Protected Trees
A tree earns 'heritage' status in Hanover County only when the Board of Supervisors individually designates it by ordinance for its notable historic or cultural interest under Sec. 22.5-2. Before the board votes, Sec. 22.5-3 requires the property owner to receive certified mail notice of the proposed designation ahead of the hearing.
Hanover County Heritage Tree Designation
Some RestrictionsHanover County Code §§ 22.5-2, 22.5-3
Heritage tree means any tree which has been individually designated by the county board of supervisors to have notable historic or cultural interest. ... The designation of such trees shall be by an arborist or urban forester and shall be made by ordinance. The individual property owner of such trees shall be notified by certified mail of such proposed designation prior to the hearing on the ad...
Protected Tree Species
Hanover County's tree preservation chapter protects only trees the Board of Supervisors has individually designated as heritage, specimen, memorial or street trees, not any tree species generally. Ordinary residential landscaping, silviculture and horticulture stay outside the chapter entirely under Sec. 22.5-1, and protection attaches only once the board designates a specific named tree.
Hanover County Protected Tree Categories
Light RestrictionsHanover County Code §§ 22.5-1, 22.5-2
This chapter regulates preservation and removal of heritage, specimen, memorial and street trees, as defined in section 22.5-2, when such preservation and removal are not commercial silvicultural or horticultural activities, including but not limited to planting, managing, or harvesting forest or tree crops. ... Heritage tree means any tree which has been individually designated by the county b...
Parkway Planting
In Hanover County's RM Multi-Family Residential District outside Ashland, Hanover County Code § 26-77(c) requires street trees along every public street: planted in a median, along an easement or VDOT-approved right-of-way, or massed at intersections, using at least three species, one two-inch-caliper tree per 50 feet of street length, and never Bradford pear, Norway maple or female ginkgo.
Hanover County RM District Street Tree Rules
Some RestrictionsHanover County Code § 26-77(c)
(c)Street trees.(1)Street trees shall be planted as follows:a.Within a street median;b.Along each side of a street on which houses front (i) in an easement created to permit the owners' association to maintain the street trees in accordance with the requirements of section 26-84 which shall be no less than ten (10) feet wide and designated for such plantings, or (ii) within the right-of-way, if...
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