Fayette County, GA Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)
Key Facts
- Authority
- CATV franchise grantee, § 24-29(g)
- Scope
- Trees overhanging county streets near grantee wires
- Cost
- Paid by the grantee, not the county
- Oversight
- Trimming done under county supervision and direction
- Not covered
- No general property-owner tree-clearance ordinance found
Summary
Fayette County's cable television franchise ordinance gives a CATV grantee the authority to trim trees overhanging county streets when branches touch its wires and cables, but only under the county's supervision and direction and at the grantee's own expense, under Code of Fayette County, Georgia Sec. 24-29(g). It's a franchise-specific authorization, not a general tree-clearance ordinance for property owners.
The grantee shall have the authority to trim trees overhanging the streets of the county so as to prevent the branches of such trees from coming in contact with a grantee's wires and cables. All trimming shall be done under the supervision and direction of the county and at the expense of a grantee.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 24-29 sets the conditions a CATV franchise grantee must follow when occupying county streets with its wires, poles and cables, and subsection (g) specifically addresses trees: the grantee has authority to trim trees overhanging the streets of the county so branches don't contact its wires and cables. That trimming authority is not unlimited: it must be done under the supervision and direction of the county and at the expense of the grantee, meaning the county controls how and when the cutting happens and the cable company, not the property owner or the county, pays for it.
The provision sits inside Chapter 24's telecommunications article, alongside the grantee's other street-occupancy obligations, such as locating facilities to minimize interference with property owners under subsection (a), restoring any street or sidewalk it disturbs under subsection (h), and temporarily raising or lowering wires on 48 hours' notice to accommodate a building move under subsection (j). Because this authority belongs to the franchise grantee rather than the county or an adjoining landowner, the code file located in this run does not contain a separate, general ordinance requiring property owners to trim trees that overhang a public street or sidewalk in unincorporated Fayette County.
Violations & Fines
The code text located here does not attach a stated penalty specifically to Sec. 24-29(g)'s tree-trimming authority; it is written as a grant of power to the grantee rather than a prohibition. A grantee that trims trees without the county's required supervision and direction, or that shifts the cost to the county or a property owner instead of paying it itself, would be operating outside what Sec. 24-29(g) authorizes and outside the franchise conditions the county can enforce through the franchise agreement itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the cable company in Fayette County trim trees near its lines?
Does this section require homeowners to trim trees over the street?
Who pays if the cable company needs to trim a tree?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fayette County
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