Tree removal permit rules in Guilford County, NC — sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances — list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
There is no county permit to remove trees on a private single-family lot. Removal is limited only inside protected riparian buffers (where no new clearing is allowed) and where trees are required landscaping on larger developments.
Unincorporated Guilford County does not require a permit to cut down trees on an ordinary residential lot, because the UDO landscaping standards (6.2) exempt single-family and two-family dwellings. Restrictions apply where a tree was planted or preserved to meet a required planting yard, or where it stands within a protected stream buffer. In the buffer, the ordinance bars new clearing, grading, or development in violation of the rule, and forest-harvesting/agricultural activity is instead governed by state Jordan-buffer rules. High-value trees (defined by DBH) receive extra buffer protection.
Illegal clearing in a riparian buffer can require restoration/mitigation and a variance; unlawful land-disturbance ties to erosion penalties up to $5,000 per day.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Guilford County's tree removal & heritage trees rules stack up against other locations.
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