Albemarle County, VA Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Albemarle County, VA, sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances, list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Key Facts
- Non-RA district limit
- Dead trees or under 6 inches diameter
- Stream buffer
- No cutting within 15 ft of perennial stream
- Applies stream buffer to
- All districts, including Rural Areas
- Danger exception
- Zoning administrator approval for hazard trees
- Pest exception
- VA Dept. of Forestry field recommendation
- 'Tree cutting' includes
- Sawing, burning, bulldozing, poisoning, girdling
Summary
Outside the Rural Areas district, Albemarle County limits tree removal to dead trees or trees under six inches in diameter unless a site plan clears the land for a permitted use, and countywide, no tree within 15 feet of a perennial stream or water-supply impoundment may be cut without one of the ordinance's stated exceptions.
A.In districts other than the RA, cutting of trees shall be limited to dead trees and trees of less than six inches in diameter measured at six inches above ground; except that trees may be cleared as an incident to the preparation of land for the establishment of some other use permitted in the district, provided that:1.Such use is exempt from the provisions of section 32 hereof; or2.A site development plan for such permitted use shall have been approved in accordance with the provisions of section 32 of this ordinance;B.The following regulation shall apply in all zoning districts:1.Unless otherwise specifically approved to accommodate development pursuant to section 32 hereof, no tree within 15 feet of any perennial stream or water supply impoundment may be cut, except for dead trees or trees of less than six inches in diameter measured at six inches above ground; or in order to provide access for livestock or for another permitted use;
Full Breakdown
3 of the zoning ordinance splits tree-cutting rules by location. In every district except the Rural Areas (RA), Subsection A limits cutting to dead trees and trees measuring less than six inches in diameter measured six inches above the ground, unless the trees are being cleared as an incident to preparing the land for another permitted use, either because that use is exempt from the site plan requirement of Section 32 or because a Section 32 site plan for the use has already been approved.
Subsection B layers a stream-buffer rule on top that applies in every zoning district, RA included: no tree within 15 feet of a perennial stream or a water supply impoundment may be cut, with the same dead-tree and under-six-inch exceptions, plus an exception to provide livestock access or serve another permitted use. The zoning administrator can authorize cutting outside those exceptions in two situations: where a tree poses a clearly demonstrable danger to a building, structure, or public safety, or where the Virginia Department of Forestry has field-inspected the tree and recommended its removal as virulent or pestilent to nearby trees.
3(D) defines "tree cutting" broadly to include sawing, burning, bulldozing, poisoning, and girdling, or any other activity that could reasonably be expected to kill a tree, and clarifies that clearing land to establish a fill or waste area isn't itself a permitted use but only preparatory work toward one.
Violations & Fines
Cutting trees below six inches in diameter without an exempt or approved site plan, or cutting within 15 feet of a perennial stream without one of Section 4.3's stated exceptions, is a zoning violation the county enforces through the zoning administrator, who can also require restoration or deny site plan approval until the unauthorized clearing is addressed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I cut down trees on my property in Albemarle County?
What if a tree is diseased or dangerous?
Can I clear trees near a creek on my land?
Does bulldozing or poisoning a tree count as illegal cutting?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Albemarle County
Compare Albemarle County to another location·View the Virginia landscaping rules overview
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