Clayton County, GA Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)

Clayton County's Tree Protection Ordinance (Code of Clayton County, GA, Chapter 86, Article II) requires any development or land-disturbance permit to satisfy a tree density unit (TDU) standard under Sec. 86-62, and Sec. 86-70 is the reference list the county arborist and Department of Community Development use to approve what gets planted to meet that standard. The list divides trees into overstory species, defined as reaching a mature height 'in excess of 40 feet,' and understory species, those that 'do not reach 30 feet in height at maturity,' and instructs that 'the majority of the planting should be large canopy trees' while understory trees and ornamentals are reserved for accents or tight spaces.

Native Piedmont species dominate the list, including red maple, southern sugar maple, flowering dogwood, sourwood and shagbark hickory, and the ordinance is explicit that 'species diversity and use of native plantings are highly recommended and preferred,' while acknowledging urban-site constraints can still justify a non-native selection. The list carries no fixed caliper requirement; the code instead points installers to the American Nursery Standards Institute and notes a root ball 'approximately 30 inch in diameter' for a 2 to 2 1/2 inch tree. Because Sec. 86-70 sits inside the same article as the county's enforcement and penalty sections, a permit holder who plants outside the approved list, or removes protected trees without replacing them consistent with the list, is subject to Sec.

86-65 enforcement (permit revocation, stop-work orders) and the Sec. 86-67 misdemeanor penalty. The ordinance took effect June 26, 2008, and the selection list was last updated by Ordinance No. 2017-42.