3 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Orange County, North Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
Chapel Hill and Carrboro impose the county's real tree-removal review, and it centers on land development and town street trees rather than a homeowner's routine yard tree. Chapel Hill's LUMO Section 5.7 requires tree protection when land is disturbed; the unincorporated county sets no diameter permit.
Chapel Hill and Carrboro protect their most notable trees through development review rather than a blanket heritage ban on private owners. Chapel Hill's LUMO singles out rare and specimen trees and significant tree stands for survey and preservation when land near them is disturbed.
A homeowner who removes a yard tree owes no replacement. Replacement and mitigation duties ride on land development in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, where trees removed under review must be replaced or mitigated to protect the canopy, and on the town street trees the towns replant themselves.
1 cities in Orange County have their own tree protection rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
See every category we cover for Orange County — parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Orange County Ordinance Hub →