Showing ordinances that apply to George Mason, VA
George Mason is an unincorporated community (population 11,162) in Fairfax County, Virginia. Because George Mason is not an incorporated city, it does not have its own municipal code. Instead, Fairfax County ordinances apply directly to properties here. The tree removal & heritage trees rules below are the ones that govern your area.
Fairfax County has some of Virginia's strictest tree protection rules. The Tree Conservation Ordinance (Chapter 122, Article 12) requires permits for removal of trees in conservation areas, tree preservation easements, Resource Protection Areas (RPAs), and on lots subject to site-plan tree coverage requirements. Individual mature trees on private single-family lots without easements are generally exempt, but Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinance applies in RPAs.
Fairfax County enforces tree protection through multiple overlapping mechanisms: (1) The Tree Conservation Ordinance, Chapter 122 of the Zoning Ordinance, which requires a 10-year canopy coverage on new development (typically 10–20% depending on zone) and protects designated trees on approved site plans. (2) Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinance (Chapter 118) restricts clearing in Resource Protection Areas (RPAs) — 100-foot buffers along perennial streams, wetlands, and the Potomac. Removal in an RPA requires a water quality impact assessment and County approval. (3) Tree preservation easements recorded on many residential subdivisions (especially Reston, Burke Centre, Fairfax Station) require permits for removal of any tree above a threshold diameter. (4) Historic overlay districts may add protections. On a standard single-family lot OUTSIDE an RPA, easement, or overlay, a homeowner may generally remove a tree from their own yard without a County permit — but MUST check HOA covenants (the leading source of restrictions in Fairfax). Street trees in the public right-of-way are managed by VDOT or the County Urban Forestry Division and may not be removed or pruned without coordination. Penalties for illegal removal in protected areas include $2,500+ per tree plus replanting requirements. Reston Association, Burke Centre Conservancy, and many HOAs have tree review boards with their own permit processes.
Contact your local code enforcement office for specific penalty information.
See how George Mason's tree removal & heritage trees rules stack up against other locations.
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