Bartow County, GA Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Bartow County treats vegetation work in its rights-of-way as utility work regulated under Chapter 72, Article II, Utility Accommodations. Section 72-33(d)(7) lists cutting, trimming or spraying of any trees or shrubs, or other vegetation control, within the right-of-way among the activities that require written notification rather than a full utility permit. Under subsection (a), notification provides notice for minor matters and certain repairs, and it must be submitted, with acknowledgment received back from the Community Development Department, before the work begins; proceeding without that acknowledgment is itself a violation of the article.

The department maintains written procedures and forms for submitting notification, available on request. If a project could arguably fall under both the written-notification and full utility-permit tracks, the permit procedures apply unless the department decides otherwise. Vegetation work that also disturbs the roadbed, blocks a travel lane for more than two hours, or introduces new obstructions can escalate into permit territory under subsections (c) and (d)(1) through (3). Enforcement runs through the Community Development Department under Section 72-35: inspectors can issue a notice of defect, and violations of the article go to magistrate court, with each day of non-compliance charged as a separate violation.

Minimum fines run on a rolling one-year, escalating scale: $500 for a first violation, $750 for a second, and $1,000 for a third. The department can also issue a stop-work order for a violation, and the county attorney may pursue injunctive relief in superior court. Anyone who disagrees with a Community Development determination can appeal to the county commissioner, Bartow County's single elected executive and legislative authority, by filing a written notice of appeal within 15 days of the department's decision.