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

The permit requirement is waived only where the county determines the tree is dead, diseased, infested to the point removal is necessary, or damaged by lightning, wind, ice, or another disaster to the extent it endangers public safety. Beyond the removal permit, Sec. B obligates the property owner to retain trees on the site equal to 15 units per acre of the development site, replacing any that later die or are irreparably damaged. During construction, Sec. 5 layers on active protections: trees to remain must be ringed with fencing enclosing the critical root zone, using plastic construction fencing, silt fencing, 12-gauge 2x4 wire mesh, double 1x4 rails on 2x4 posts, or high-visibility surveyor's tape on 1x2 posts, at least 4 feet tall for the latter three types.

No one may cut, carve, or otherwise damage a protected tree, attach nails or wire to it, let harmful substances such as concrete washout or herbicide reach it, or burn near it, and building materials, vehicles, and construction debris must stay out of the critical root zone unless first mulched with 4 inches of pine bark or wood chips or 6 inches of pine straw. Grading may not raise or lower ground level, strip topsoil, or pave within the critical root zone without county authorization, and replacement plantings must favor canopy species and cannot be more than 30 percent pine under Sec. 6.