Clayton County, GA Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

Clayton County's Tree Protection Ordinance (Ch. 86, Art. II) applies to the removal of any tree with a diameter breast height of six inches or greater, or three or more trees under six inches, under Sec. 86-59(b)(6). Sec. ' Once issued, the permit must be posted within 24 hours. Sec. 86-60(a) carves out the ordinance's main residential exemption: 'The removal of three or fewer under 30 inches diameter breast height on any single-family residential property, within a single calendar year' is exempt, unless the removal is tied to a building permit allowing land disturbance, and a homeowner cannot remove trees within two years of a certificate of occupancy if those trees were planted or preserved by the builder to meet density requirements.

Other exemptions cover septic/drainage fields with board of health documentation, street rights-of-way within an approved subdivision, county-authorized road projects, Greenspace program trails, utility easements, active nurseries and orchards, and diseased or infested trees removed on the advice of a certified arborist or the state forestry commission, provided the removed trees are replaced with disease-resistant species. Land disturbance activity beyond the exemptions needs a development plan, a certified tree survey extending 25 feet past the right-of-way, and county arborist approval before work begins.