South Fulton, GA Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

Under the City's Tree Preservation Ordinance and Administrative Guidelines, a tree qualifies as a specimen/heritage tree if it is in fair-or-better condition and meets minimum diameter (DBH) thresholds: large hardwoods such as oak, hickory, yellow poplar, and sweetgum at 27 inches; beech at 24 inches; large softwoods such as pine and deodar cedar at 24 inches; and small native flowering trees such as dogwood, redbud, and sourwood at 10 inches. Smaller trees can also qualify if rare, of exceptional quality, historically significant, or used as a design focal point. On any site undergoing land disturbance, an ISA-certified arborist must survey the trees and a Georgia Registered Landscape Architect must prepare a Tree Protection/Landscape Plan submitted with the Land Disturbance Permit. Healthy specimen trees that the City Arborist allows to be removed must be compensated with 2-inch or 4-inch-caliper replacement trees (hardwoods for specimen hardwoods/flowering trees; magnolia, deodar cedar, hemlock, or cryptomeria for evergreens). Removing a specimen tree or disturbing its root-protection zone without permission doubles its unit value for replacement purposes (e.g., a 30-inch DBH tree worth 14.7 units becomes 29.4 units). Where the site cannot hold all required trees, the balance goes to the Tree Bank or a payment to the Tree Replacement Fund. Confirm requirements with the City Arborist at 470-809-7202.