Alexandria, VA Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Alexandria, 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
- State authority
- Va. Code § 15.2-961 enables local tree-canopy ordinances
- Local standard
- 25% minimum canopy cover, Zoning Ordinance § 7-2200
- Where it applies
- R-20, R-12, R-8, R-5, R-2-5 and RA/RB 1-2 unit lots
- Exempt districts
- Old & Historic Alexandria and Parker-Gray Districts
- Approving official
- Director signs off as part of grading-plan approval
- Statutory cap
- Local ordinance can't exceed statute's canopy percentages
Summary
Alexandria requires new residential construction that needs a grading plan to preserve or replant enough trees to reach 25 percent canopy cover on the lot under Zoning Ordinance § 7-2200, exercising the state authority in Va. Code § 15.2-961 that lets localities mandate tree canopy through the site-plan process.
B. Any locality may adopt an ordinance providing for the planting and replacement of trees during the development process pursuant to the provisions of this section. C. The ordinance shall require that the site plan for any subdivision or development include the planting or replacement of trees on the site to the extent that, at 20 years, minimum tree canopies or covers will be provided in areas to be designated in the ordinance, as follows:... 6. Thirty percent tree canopy for a residential site zoned two or fewer units per acre. F. The ordinance shall provide for reasonable exceptions to or deviations from these requirements to allow for the reasonable development of farm land or other areas devoid of healthy or suitable woody materials, for the preservation of wetlands, or otherwise when the developer requests, and the locality concurs, that the strict application of the requirements would result in unnecessary or unreasonable hardship to the developer... J. Penalties for violations of ordinances adopted pursuant to this section shall be the same as those applicable to violations of zoning ordinances of the locality.
Full Breakdown
Virginia's enabling statute, Va. 2-961, lets any locality adopt a tree-canopy ordinance tied to the development and subdivision process. Under subsection C, a locality's ordinance must require site plans to show enough planted or preserved tree canopy that, measured at 20 years' maturity, business, commercial and industrial sites reach 10 percent canopy, and residential sites reach between 10 and 30 percent depending on density, from 10 percent for sites zoned 20 or more units per acre up to 30 percent for lots zoned two units per acre or fewer.
Subsection F requires the ordinance to allow reasonable exceptions, including for farmland or land devoid of healthy woody material, wetland preservation, or where strict application would cause the developer unnecessary hardship, and subsection J makes any local penalty the same as the penalty for a zoning-ordinance violation. Alexandria's implementing rule, Zoning Ordinance § 7-2200 ('Tree coverage requirement'), applies this authority to residential lots in the R-20, R-12, R-8, R-5 and R-2-5 zones and to single- and two-unit development in the RA and RB zones, excluding the Old and Historic Alexandria and Parker-Gray Historic Districts.
It sets a flat local standard: any construction requiring a grading plan must plant new trees or preserve existing ones so the lot reaches a minimum 25 percent canopy cover, with crown coverage measured against the City of Alexandria Landscape Guidelines, and the director signs off on compliance as part of grading-plan approval rather than through a separate tree-removal permit.
Violations & Fines
Va. Code § 15.2-961(J) ties enforcement to whatever penalty the locality applies to zoning-ordinance violations generally, so a site that fails to reach the 25 percent canopy cover required by Zoning Ordinance § 7-2200 does not receive grading-plan sign-off from the director, and proceeding without that approval is treated the same as any other zoning violation. The statute caps what a locality's canopy ordinance may demand: under subsection K, no local tree-replacement ordinance adopted under this authority may exceed the canopy percentages set out in the statute itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a special permit to remove trees on my property in Alexandria?
Does this canopy rule apply everywhere in Alexandria?
What is the state law behind Alexandria's tree canopy requirement?
Are there exceptions to the canopy requirement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Alexandria
Compare Alexandria to another location·View the Virginia landscaping rules overview
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