Durham, NC Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Durham, NC, sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances, list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Key Facts
- Governing rule
- UDO §§ 8.3.1–8.3.5, joint city-county ordinance
- Major specimen tree
- 18in dbh evergreen, 12in hardwood, or 8in understory
- Suburban residential minimum
- 20% preserved tree coverage per phase
- Tree survey trigger
- Grading within 30 feet of protected trees
- Clear-cut penalty
- 3-5 year site plan denial
- Exempt
- Sites under 2 acres without mass grading
Summary
Durham-Durham County's joint Unified Development Ordinance requires new development in the Urban, Suburban, and most Compact Neighborhood tiers to preserve a set percentage of tree coverage, with credit incentives for saving "major specimen trees": evergreens 18 inches dbh or larger, hardwoods 12 inches or larger, and understory trees eight inches or larger. Once an area is designated preserved tree coverage on an approved site plan, it can't be disturbed except for narrow trail and utility exceptions.
Preserved tree coverage areas shall not be disturbed, except the following: Unpaved walking paths and foot trails constructed with minimal disturbance of tree roots and existing vegetation. No tree six inches dbh or greater shall be removed for the construction of the trail. ... All buildings, utilities, and stormwater facilities shall be set back at least 10 feet from the edge of any preserved tree coverage area. ... Specimen Tree, Major: Any evergreen canopy tree 18 inches dbh or greater, any deciduous canopy tree 12 inches dbh or greater and any understory tree (deciduous or evergreen) eight inches dbh or greater, except any tree listed as a nonnative invasive plant by the U.S. Forest Service or prohibited pursuant to the Landscape Manual for Durham, North Carolina, also referred to as the Landscape Manual.
Full Breakdown
B); developments under two acres or that skip mass grading are exempt, as are additions to existing single-family homes. C depending on how much of that coverage is existing preservation versus replacement planting. 3 wherever grading comes within 30 feet of a preserved tree area, floodplain, steep slope, riparian buffer, or wetland, and it must plot the location, species, and size of every tree six inches dbh or larger nearby. 5's protection standards. D bars disturbing it outright, with only narrow carve-outs: unpaved trails that remove no tree six inches dbh or larger, small unpaved amenity areas under 200 square feet, and buildings, utilities, and stormwater facilities kept at least ten feet back from the coverage area's edge.
2, which requires a fenced tree protection zone (a six-foot radius, or one foot per inch of trunk diameter, whichever is bigger) posted with bilingual no-trespassing signs at 100-foot intervals. This is enforced through the site plan and land disturbance permit review, not through a separate tree-removal application.
Violations & Fines
Clear-cutting the mandatory perimeter buffers (32 feet along adjoining properties, 50 feet along public rights-of-way) triggers Section 8.3.4's penalty: the city must deny any site plan for the property for three years from the date of removal, or five years if the removal was a willful violation; Durham County applies the same three-year bar without the enhanced willful-violation term.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Durham require a permit to remove a protected tree before building?
What counts as a major specimen tree in Durham?
Does this tree coverage rule apply outside Durham's city limits?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Durham
Compare Durham to another location·View the North Carolina landscaping rules overview
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