Sullivan County, TN Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Sullivan County, TN, sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances, list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Key Facts
- Protected size
- Trees over six inches in caliper
- Where it applies
- OSRD common amenity area only
- Slope threshold
- 25% natural slope discourages alteration
- Open space minimum
- 25% of gross tract, per OSRD
- Max civil penalty
- $500 per offense, per day
Summary
Inside an approved Open Space Residential Development, Sullivan County bars clearing any tree over six inches in caliper on the common ownership amenity land that sits outside the platted building envelope. The rule protects the shared open space these subdivisions are built around, not ordinary residential lots countywide.
a. Tree Preservation - No clearing of trees greater than six (6) inches in caliper shall be permitted on any portion of the common ownership amenity area that lies beyond the building envelope designated upon said plat.
Full Breakdown
3: within the common ownership amenity area lying beyond the building envelope shown on the recorded plat, no clearing of trees greater than six inches in caliper is permitted. That same Environmental Protection subsection also requires slope protection discouraging alteration where natural topography exceeds twenty-five percent, and an erosion and sediment control plan reviewed by the Planning Department and coordinated with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation's Johnson City field office before any grading begins. 3(7) requires at least twenty-five percent of the gross tract to be preserved as open common space, with floodway zones excluded from that calculation.
Because these standards attach to the OSRD zoning tool rather than to the county's agricultural or standard residential districts, a lot owner outside an approved OSRD project is not subject to this six-inch caliper limit; the Zoning Resolution supplied for this county contains no general tree-removal permit requirement reaching ordinary residential or agricultural lots.
Violations & Fines
Clearing protected trees within an OSRD's common ownership amenity area in violation of Section 3-104.3(4)(a) is enforced the same as any other Zoning Resolution violation under Section 12-107.2: a misdemeanor punished as provided by law, with a civil penalty of up to $500 per offense and each day of continued violation treated as a separate offense. Complaints go in writing to the Building Commissioner, who must investigate under Section 12-107.1, and developers risk losing homeowners' association plat approval since the common open space plat and covenants must be recorded before any building permit issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Sullivan County require a permit to cut down trees on my property?
Can a homeowner in a Sullivan County OSRD clear trees around their own house?
Can I raise chickens on OSRD common open space land in Sullivan County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sullivan County
Compare Sullivan County to another location·View the Tennessee landscaping rules overview
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