Clayton County, GA Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)
Key Facts
- Owner's duty
- Keep private trees/shrubs in safe condition
- Pruning defined
- Removing live/dead branches for structure, vigor, safety
- Excessive pruning
- Treated as tree removal if not ISA-standard
- Consequence
- Same permit and penalty regime as removal
- Penalty
- Up to $1,000/day or 30 days jail
Summary
Clayton County's Tree Protection Ordinance defines pruning and puts a continuing duty on private property owners to keep trees and shrubs in a safe condition under Code of Ordinances Sec. 86-66. Prune a protected tree too aggressively, or outside International Society of Arboriculture standards, and the county's own definitions treat that as unauthorized tree removal, not routine trimming.
Nothing in this article shall be deemed to impose any liability upon the county or upon any of its officers or employees or to relieve the owner and occupant of any private property from the duty to keep trees and shrubs upon private property or under his control in a safe condition.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 104).
Full Breakdown
Sec. ' That duty runs into the ordinance's definitions in Sec. ' That means a homeowner or contractor who tops or over-prunes a tree covered by the ordinance (six inches DBH or larger, or a specimen tree) can be treated exactly as if the tree had been cut down without a permit, triggering the same Sec. 86-61(f) permit requirement and Sec. 86-67 penalty structure that governs outright removal, rather than being waved off as routine yard maintenance.
Violations & Fines
Because excessive or non-ISA-standard pruning counts as tree removal under Sec. 86-55, it is punishable exactly like an unpermitted removal under Sec. 86-67: a fine of up to $1,000.00 per day or up to 30 days of incarceration per occurrence, plus mandatory replacement, three times unit value for an ordinary protected tree and eight times for a specimen tree. The property owner's independent safety duty under Sec. 86-66 does not excuse the pruning limits; the county can still act against over-pruning even when the owner insists it was done for safety.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Clayton County regulate how I trim trees on my own property?
What counts as 'excessive' pruning under county rules?
Am I liable if a tree I'm supposed to maintain falls and causes damage?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Clayton County
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