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

Section 4.06.03.A sets the spacing, placement and pruning standards for every street tree required under the UDC's Street Tree Standards. New trees start at a minimum caliper of 2½ inches measured 6½ feet above finished grade, following the American National Standard for Nursery Stock, so the pruning clock effectively starts at planting. Subsection A.8 states the ongoing clearance duty directly: as planted trees grow, they must be pruned to keep at least eight feet of clearance above sidewalks and 12 feet of clearance above road surfaces, ensuring pedestrians and truck traffic pass safely underneath.

Subsection A.10 places that pruning responsibility squarely on private parties, not the county: the property owner where the tree stands, the subdivision's developer, or a homeowners' association is responsible for meeting every pruning requirement of the section, and Catoosa County itself has no maintenance duty for these trees. The same subsection also restricts where trees may sit in the first place, requiring at least 25 feet of separation from an intersection curb line, 10 feet from a driveway, fire hydrant or utility pole, and 20 feet from a light standard, so an untrimmed tree that grows into those clearance zones creates a separate compliance problem beyond the pruning rule itself.