Macon-Bibb County, GA Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Section 15-1(12), part of Chapter 15's general nuisance list, reaches trees and shrubs on private property: shrubbery or tree limbs on private property which protrude or hang so as to obstruct the safe passage of pedestrians or motor vehicles. The same item exempts dead growth that is not actually blocking the path, stating the section does not apply to removal of fallen or dead trees, shrubbery, or bushes on private property where they do not protrude into the pedestrian or motor vehicle passageway. As with the rest of Section 15-1, enforcement runs through the sheriff's office and animal control, code enforcement, or health inspectors, who may investigate a complaint and refer it to the municipal or state court under Sections 15-3 through 15-8.

Near street intersections, Division 3 of the same chapter adds a more exact clearance standard. Section 15-17 makes it a public nuisance to maintain any fence, sign, shrubbery, bush, tree, or similar object within two defined sight triangles at an intersection, one measured 20 feet along the curb and one 15 feet along the right-of-way lines, and specifically bars trees, hedges, or natural growth from obstructing cross-visibility between 30 and 72 inches above the level of the intersection's center. A tree can satisfy that rule by having its limbs and foliage trimmed so that nothing extends into that 30-to-72-inch band.

The county traffic engineer administers Section 15-17, serves a written notice and order of abatement by certified mail, and the property owner has ten days to remove the obstruction, with the traffic engineer authorized to remove it and lien the cost against the property if the owner does not comply.