Brookhaven, GA Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Sec. 16-193 of the Brookhaven Code, titled Vegetation and debris, sits in Article VIII (Vegetation) of the nuisance chapter. Subsection (a) says there shall be no dead or hazardous trees, shrubs, ground cover or weeds likely to harbor vermin or insects, restrict or impede access to or public use of adjacent sidewalks, paths, trails and streets, obstruct traffic-control signs and devices and fire hydrants, or pose a risk of physical injury to the public.

The rule is a condition standard, not a measured one. It prints no vertical clearance over a sidewalk or street and names no number of feet, so the test is whether a branch or shrub restricts or impedes public use of the adjacent walkway or street, hides a traffic-control sign or fire hydrant, or has become dead or hazardous. A limb hanging into a sidewalk, a shrub crowding a trail, or a hedge covering a hydrant is judged against that language.

Subsection (d) adds a rule for invasive plants. Invasive plant species on premises and exterior property shall be maintained so that damage to existing trees and encroachment onto adjacent properties is prevented. The city defines invasive species by the Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council Invasive Plant List, and the code names English Ivy, Chinese Wisteria, Kudzu, Tree of Heaven, all Privet species and all Bamboo species other than the native River Cane and Switch Cane.

Responsibility falls on the property side. Sec. 16-208 makes the owner and the occupant each independently responsible for keeping the premises, including all buildings and the full yard, clean and free from garbage, refuse, filth, dirt, ashes, trash, rubbish and other offensive materials. Where a site carries required landscaping and screening, Sec. 27-930 requires it to be continuously maintained, including pruning.