Landscaping Rules in Georgia (2026)

Columbus, Georgia's City Arborist can declare any tree or shrub, public or private, a nuisance when it blocks a street…

Atlanta requires property owners to trim or remove trees that block safety or free passage along a public street…

Traffic Engineering flags intersections where trees, shrubbery, or hedging block sightlines over sidewalks or interfere…

In unincorporated Bartow County, cutting, trimming or spraying trees, shrubs or other vegetation within a county…

Street trees planted under Catoosa County's UDC must be pruned as they grow to keep at least 8 feet of clearance above…

In the City of Savannah you may prune trees on your own private lot, but no one may trim, prune, or remove any tree on…

Clayton County's Tree Protection Ordinance defines pruning and puts a continuing duty on private property owners to…

Unincorporated DeKalb County bars dead or hazardous trees, shrubs and weeds that block sidewalks, streets, traffic…

Owners of unincorporated Gwinnett properties with required street trees must trim and prune them to International…

In unincorporated Jackson County, trees and shrubs planted near street rights-of-way must keep clear sight lines…

Johns Creek's public works department has sole authority to plant, prune, and remove street and right-of-way trees…

Macon-Bibb County Code Section 15-1(12) declares it a nuisance to let shrubbery or tree limbs on private property hang…

No one, including city crews, may destroy, injure or remove a shade tree in Marietta's rights-of-way without a permit…

Roswell, Georgia code enforcement can order removal of any tree, weed, or growth that overhangs or blocks a public…

In the City of Smyrna, Georgia, the city has the right to plant, maintain, prune and remove trees in the rights-of-way…

Property owners in unincorporated Walker County cannot let trees, shrubs or bushes grow tall enough to block the sight…

Warner Robins law puts pruning duty for street-overhanging trees on the property owner: branches must clear ten feet…

In unincorporated Whitfield County, nobody may plant vegetation taller than 30 inches or with a trunk wider than four…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 16-193(a) bars dead or hazardous trees, shrubs and weeds that restrict or…

Fayette County's cable television franchise ordinance gives a CATV grantee the authority to trim trees overhanging…

In unincorporated Fulton County, anyone in the business of trimming or removing trees must haul away all sawdust…

In unincorporated Newton County, trees, shrubs and other vegetation cannot be allowed to block safe vision on a…

Atlanta requires a permit from the city arborist before removing or destroying any regulated tree, six inches DBH or…

Augusta-Richmond County requires new development, redevelopment, and expansion projects to preserve or plant at least…

In unincorporated Barrow County, clear-cutting a residential subdivision lot is illegal. Grading may strip only the…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Section 14-54(c) requires a City tree removal permit for every non-emergency…

Cherokee County requires a land disturbance permit before removing trees on most unincorporated property, reviewed by…

In unincorporated Cobb County, trees inside a lot's protected zone (the land outside the buildable area, required open…

Columbia County requires a tree survey, a tree protection plan, and a land disturbance permit before most development…

In Columbus, Georgia, cutting, damaging, or destroying a legally 'protected tree', a Beautification Plan Tree, Public…

Decatur, Georgia's Unified Development Ordinance bars removing, destroying or disturbing a protected tree anywhere in…

Dunwoody requires a tree removal permit for hardwoods 10 inches or larger, softwoods 20 inches or larger, and…

Any project in unincorporated Fayette County that needs a preliminary plat, an erosion and sedimentation plan, or a…

On St. Simons Island, clearing or removing trees on commercial property, on residential lots of one acre or more, or in…

In unincorporated Jackson County, land-disturbance and development permits trigger tree protection requirements. Stream…

Removing trees ahead of development in unincorporated Rockdale County requires an approved landscape and tree…

Any tree in Roswell, Georgia at least 3 inches in trunk diameter that grows 15 feet or taller needs a Unified…

Removing trees inside a protected zone in South Fulton requires a documented hardship and the community development…

Acworth's tree preservation ordinance bars removal of trees inside a protected zone, meaning buffers, tree-save areas…

In the City of Alpharetta, removing a tree that counts as a Non-Development Activity requires a tree removal permit…

Carroll County, Georgia has no permit for a homeowner cutting down a tree on an existing lot. The only clearing limit…

The City of Savannah protects many trees: on undeveloped land any tree over two inches in diameter, and on developed…

Removing a tree six inches or larger in diameter anywhere in unincorporated Clayton County requires a tree removal…

Coweta County ties tree removal to its land disturbance permit process, and requires a standalone tree removal permit…

Property owners in unincorporated DeKalb County may remove up to five non-specimen trees per calendar year on a…

Cutting down a protected, specimen, landmark, or champion tree in unincorporated Effingham County requires a permit…

Floyd County's Unified Land Development Code protects trees during development, not routine yard work: land being…

Forsyth County issues no tree-removal permit for ordinary yard work on a single-family lot. Its Tree Protection and…

Fulton County requires a performance bond worth 125% of tree replacement cost before approving clear-cutting on a…

In unincorporated Gordon County, hillside development on land with a natural slope of 25 percent or more inside the…

Developers in unincorporated Gwinnett County must retain or replant trees to reach 16 Tree Density Units per acre -- 20…

On property not exempted under Sec. 8.3.3.B, unincorporated Hall County requires a permit and an approved tree…

Houston County's Tree Protection and Landscaping regulations limit tree removal to what's necessary for construction…

Johns Creek requires owners and developers who disturb a protected tree zone to revegetate the area with trees or…

Macon-Bibb County requires forester approval, within a 60-day response window, before anyone removes, cuts or otherwise…

Marietta requires a Notification of Tree Removal before any tree comes down on a non-exempt parcel, including dead…

In the City of Smyrna, Georgia, a permit is required to remove any living tree with a dbh of 24 inches or greater on…

Planned commercial and industrial developments in unincorporated Spalding County can't clear-cut a site before…

In the City of Stonecrest, any land disturbance, development, building permit or preliminary subdivision plat…

In unincorporated Walker County's designated protected mountain and steep slope areas, anyone doing land-disturbing…

In unincorporated Walton County, any land development permit application must include a tree protection plan under Land…

Catoosa County's UDC does not license the removal of trees generally, but Section 4.06.04 requires any street tree…

In unincorporated Clayton County, grass, weeds, and similar plants on developed land may not exceed ten inches in…

Acworth caps weeds and grass at seven inches on any vacant, registered property under its vacant-property maintenance…

Atlanta bans weeds taller than 12 inches on at least 10 percent of a vacant or abandoned lot, or 35 percent of its…

Augusta-Richmond County bars weeds, undergrowth, or other plant life from growing past twelve inches on vacant…

In unincorporated Barrow County, anyone who owns, occupies or controls real property must keep grass and weeds under 12…

Unincorporated Bartow County makes it unlawful for a property owner or occupant to let undesirable vegetation, weeds…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 16-122 makes it unlawful for the owner of improved or previously improved…

Unincorporated Bulloch County bans letting grass or weeds grow into a breeding place for insects, rodents or reptiles…

Carroll County's property maintenance code bans weeds and unsightly plant growth like kudzu, ragweed and thistle on any…

Unincorporated Catoosa County caps weeds and grass at 12 inches in average height under UDC § 9.05.01(A)(1), declaring…

In unincorporated Chatham County, it is unlawful to allow overgrown grass or weeds to reach a height of eighteen (18)…

Cherokee County caps grass, underbrush, and weeds at 12 inches above ground level under its Property Maintenance…

Unincorporated Cobb County bans weeds and grass over 12 inches tall on any property, with code enforcement issuing…

Columbus, Georgia bans weeds or grass over 18 inches tall on any occupied or unoccupied lot in the consolidated…

Coweta County caps weeds and grass at 12 inches tall in the established yard area of any developed property under Code…

In unincorporated DeKalb County, Code Section 18-38(c) bars owners and occupants from letting weeds or grass within 150…

Unincorporated Dougherty County declares weeds, grass or vegetation over 12 inches tall a nuisance countywide, and…

Dunwoody requires every property owner, tenant or occupant to keep weeds and undergrowth cut, naming weeds over ten…

Fayette County adopted the International Property Maintenance Code's weed standard as Code § 102-22(10)a: every…

Unincorporated Floyd County owners and occupants must not create, maintain or allow weeds, brush, vegetation, trash…

Letting uncultivated weeds or grass grow past 12 inches on a lot in unincorporated Fulton County violates the county…

Unincorporated Glynn County sets no fixed inch limit for grass or weeds, but County Code § 2-16-237(b) makes it…

Gwinnett County caps grass, weeds and uncultivated vegetation on unincorporated lots at 12 inches under Code §…

Inside Hall County's Gateway Corridor Overlay District, grass, weeds or undergrowth over 8 inches on any residential…

Henry County declares grass or weeds over 12 inches tall a public nuisance on vacant lots in platted subdivisions and…

Houston County's nuisance ordinance bans weeds, grasses and uncultivated plant growth over eight inches tall on any…

Unincorporated Jackson County caps grass, underbrush and weeds at 12 inches above ground level under Unified…

Macon-Bibb County caps weed and grass growth at 12 inches on any lot with a residential structure. Exceeding that…

Marietta City Code § 7-4-2-110(A)(4) caps grass and weeds at 12 inches on any property in the city, improved or not…

Unincorporated Newton County bars letting grass or weeds grow past ten feet on residential, commercial or vacant…

Paulding County sets a 24-inch limit on grass and vegetation, enforced by the county Marshal as a litter nuisance. It…

Rockdale County Code § 78-13 bans letting uncut grass or weeds exceed ten inches, or become a nuisance, health hazard…

Roswell's blighted-property nuisance code caps weeds and grass at 10 inches on any property in the city; taller growth…

Property owners, tenants, and occupants in Sandy Springs must keep weeds cut and cannot let undergrowth such as kudzu…

In the City of Smyrna, Georgia, owners and occupants of improved or unimproved property must keep grass and weeds at…

South Fulton sets two weed standards. Section 3-6005 requires premises and exterior property to be free of grass, weeds…

Grass and weeds in the yard area of a developed lot five acres or smaller cannot exceed twelve inches in unincorporated…

Stonecrest caps weeds and grass at ten inches within 150 feet of any building or structure, including the public…

Troup County sets no numeric grass-height limit; instead it makes it a public nuisance for developed property in the…

Grass and weeds on any lot in unincorporated Walker County, improved or not, cannot average more than 12 inches tall…

In unincorporated Walton County, it is unlawful for the owner or occupant of a single-family dwelling to let grass…

Warner Robins caps grass and weeds at under 10 inches anywhere on a property, including the front, side or rear yard…

Johns Creek sets no fixed maximum height for weeds or grass; instead, dead or decaying weeds and vegetation on a…

Georgia's Water Stewardship Act sets a uniform statewide outdoor watering schedule, allowing daily landscape irrigation…

When a water shortage or potential shortage threatens DeKalb County's water system, County Code § 25-31(b) lets the…

Atlanta restricts outdoor irrigation to the hours of 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m. year-round, tightening to a two-day…

Augusta-Richmond County limits outdoor landscape watering to the hours of 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m., with exemptions for…

Unincorporated Barrow County only allows outdoor watering of lawns, trees, shrubs and other landscape plants between…

Outdoor watering of lawns, gardens, trees and shrubs in unincorporated Bartow County is restricted to the hours of 4:00…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 18-42 allows outdoor irrigation of ground cover, trees, shrubs and other…

Outdoor watering of lawns, gardens and landscaping in unincorporated Bulloch County is restricted to the hours of 4:00…

Georgia's statewide Water Stewardship Act limits landscape irrigation to the hours between 4 p.m. and 10 a.m…

Clayton County bars outdoor watering of lawns, gardens and landscaping between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. year-round…

Cobb County limits outdoor irrigation of lawns, gardens, and landscaping to the hours of 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m…

Columbia County follows Georgia's statewide watering schedule, not metro-Atlanta district rules. Under the 2010 Water…

Columbus, Georgia restricts outdoor watering for lawns, trees, and landscaping to the hours of 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m…

Coweta County limits outdoor watering of lawns, gardens, and landscaping in the unincorporated area to the hours…

In unincorporated Dougherty County, outdoor irrigation of lawns, trees, and other plantings is restricted to the hours…

Outdoor irrigation in unincorporated Effingham County is restricted to overnight hours and an odd/even address schedule…

Outdoor irrigation in unincorporated Fayette County runs only before 10:00 a.m. and after 4:00 p.m. year-round under…

In unincorporated Floyd County, outdoor watering of lawns, gardens and landscaping is limited to the hours between 4:00…

Under Georgia's Water Stewardship Act, Forsyth County allows daily landscape irrigation only between 4 p.m. and 10 a.m…

Fulton County water customers may irrigate daily but only between 4 p.m. and 10 a.m., and other outdoor water use is…

In unincorporated Glynn County, outdoor watering of lawns, gardens, trees and shrubs with Utility water may only happen…

In unincorporated Gordon County, Georgia, Section 9-5 of the Gordon County Code allows outdoor landscape watering only…

Gwinnett County bans wasting water under County Code Sec. 106-59, which defines waste as any use that sends a trail of…

Outdoor watering of lawns, gardens and other landscaping in unincorporated Hall County is confined to the hours between…

Unincorporated Jackson County limits outdoor watering of lawns, trees, shrubs, and other landscape plants to the hours…

Marietta's Water Conservation Ordinance limits outdoor irrigation of lawns, gardens, and landscaping to the hours of…

Under Georgia's Water Stewardship Act, Paulding County allows landscape watering any day but only between 4 p.m. and 10…

During a declared water shortage, Rockdale County Code § 98-40 lets the water director impose demand management…

Roswell, Georgia limits outdoor watering of lawns, gardens, and landscaping to the hours of 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m…

In the City of Smyrna, Georgia, Sec. 102-14 limits outdoor watering of ground cover, trees, shrubs and other plants to…

Outdoor irrigation in unincorporated Spalding County is restricted to the hours between 4:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. under…

In unincorporated Troup County, outdoor watering of lawns, gardens and other landscape plantings is limited to the…

In unincorporated Walton County, the Outdoor Water Use Ordinance sets a daily watering window of 4:00 p.m. to 10:00…

Outdoor watering of lawns, gardens and landscaping in unincorporated Whitfield County is restricted to the hours of…

Macon-Bibb County limits outdoor irrigation of landscapes to the hours of 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m. daily under County…

Atlanta's post-development stormwater code lists rainwater harvesting and reuse among four ranked green infrastructure…

Georgia encourages rainwater harvesting. Under the state Water Stewardship Act, capturing and reusing rainwater and…

Clayton County's Urban and Market Gardens Ordinance (Sec. 6.41) lists rain barrel systems as a permitted structure for…

Alpharetta's Unified Development Code lets developers count rainwater harvesting systems, along with bioretention…

Bartow County's outdoor watering-hours rule does not apply to rainwater harvesting. Code § 74-58(f)(2) exempts capture…

Troup County has no stand-alone rainwater-harvesting ordinance; the Unified Development Ordinance treats a rainwater…

In flood-prone parts of unincorporated Effingham County, planting plans must draw from the county's list of…

In the North Point Overlay, the City of Alpharetta's Unified Development Code encourages native, drought-tolerant…

Atlanta's Housing Code recognizes naturescaping, landscaping built around native plants, as a lawful alternative to a…

Clayton County's tree ordinance tells builders which species satisfy a tree-density permit, and it makes native species…

Walker County's landscaping ordinance lists encouraging native plant species as one of its stated purposes, alongside…

Fayette County's nonresidential landscape ordinance defines native plants as species indigenous or naturalized to the…

Macon-Bibb County Code Section 15-12 excludes 'flowers, shrubbery, trees and other growth used as a part of…

Roswell excuses designated natural areas, undisturbed buffers, and pastures of an acre or more from its…

Roswell's Unified Development Code bars artificial plants, trees, or turf from counting toward any landscaping or…

Houston County's abandoned-property maintenance code lets artificial turf or sod "designed specifically for residential…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, composting landscape waste and food waste is an allowed accessory use in…

Hall County zones composting as a Waste Related Service, permitted by right only in the AG-1 and AR-1 agricultural…

Macon-Bibb County requires yard trimmings, from grass clippings to shrub prunings, to be kept out of the regular…

South Fulton permits residential composting only on lots of at least 22,000 square feet, with the pile set back a…

In the City of Stonecrest, Code Sec. 22-35 requires yard trimmings to be sorted and stored in a way that facilitates…

Atlanta lets residential property owners compost yard trimmings on-site instead of setting them out for curbside…

Unincorporated Effingham County lets property owners and occupants compost on their own premises without a permit, but…

Unincorporated Newton County allows residents to compost vegetative materials on their property. Sec. 42-30 requires…

Alpharetta's yard waste ordinance expressly protects backyard composting. Section 38-5(d) of the city code says nothing…

Gwinnett County's solid waste code expressly allows residential service unit owners to compost on their own property.

Rockdale County does not require residents to compost. Code § 78-14(b)(4) lists composting, mowing high and letting…

Walton County does not regulate compost bins by size or design; it simply lists 'gardening and composting' as a…