The county sets no general rule for trimming trees on your own single-family lot. Trimming is regulated only where trees satisfy required landscape planting yards or sit inside protected stream (riparian) buffers, where removal of trees is limited.
For ordinary single-family and two-family lots, the Unified Development Ordinance's landscaping section (6.2) does not apply, so routine trimming is unregulated by the county. Where existing trees are counted toward a required planting yard on commercial or multi-family development, they must be preserved and protected; the ordinance says preserving tree stands is strongly encouraged and older trees prioritized. Inside a protected riparian (stream) buffer, activities that result in removal of trees are restricted and may need a variance. Utility line clearance and normal pruning of your own healthy trees are otherwise a private matter.
Removing or damaging required-planting-yard or buffer trees can require replacement, mitigation, or a variance; UDO violations carry enforcement under Subsection 10.
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See how Guilford County's tree trimming rules stack up against other locations.
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