Tree Protection in Georgia (2026)

Cherokee County's Board of Commissioners designates individual heritage trees on the Arborist's recommendation, and the…

A Live Oak measuring 38 inches DBH or greater anywhere on St. Simons Island, regardless of zoning or lot size, is…

Alpharetta protects its most significant trees, called Specimen Trees, through a density credit and recompense system…

Augusta-Richmond County lets the Augusta Commission designate any tree a Landmark Tree on the property owner's…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Section 14-52 protects specimen trees by size and species, charges recompense of…

Decatur, Georgia's Unified Development Ordinance lets a property owner nominate a qualifying tree for Landmark Tree…

DeKalb protects large 'specimen' trees, hardwoods and pines 30 inches DBH or more, or historically significant smaller…

Dunwoody's code protects specimen and special trees by size and condition criteria rather than a discretionary landmark…

In unincorporated Effingham County a tree qualifying as landmark, specimen, or champion cannot be removed except when a…

Forsyth County flags specimen, landmark and historic trees as protected 'significant trees' under Code of Ordinances §…

Gwinnett County protects large or historically significant trees as 'specimen trees' -- 28-inch hardwoods, 30-inch…

Rockdale County designates large, healthy trees as specimen trees under Code Section 328-26, requiring a certified…

Roswell, Georgia requires written justification, City engineering approval, and a per-tree mitigation fee up to $1,000…

In the City of Smyrna, Georgia, Sec. 106-30 defines specimen trees by trunk diameter: ten-inch dbh for small species…

South Fulton lets the director of community development designate any tree a protected heritage tree for its notable…

In the City of Stonecrest, a specimen tree, defined by Stonecrest Code § 14-520(8) as a large hardwood or softwood of…

Atlanta's tree conservation commission can designate any tree, public or private, as a historic tree for its age, size…

Columbia County recognizes historic and heritage trees in its development code. When a required parking layout would…

Columbus, Georgia's Tree Board can designate a tree an Exceptional Specimen Tree, its version of a heritage or landmark…

Coweta County's tree preservation ordinance singles out "specimen trees": those meeting set diameter thresholds or…

Floyd County's Unified Land Development Code has no ordinance labeled "heritage tree," but its "significant tree"…

Fulton County's tree preservation ordinance singles out heritage trees for extra protection: Code § 26-398(32)(b) lets…

Johns Creek can designate a tree of notable age, size, or historical association as a protected 'heritage tree,' and…

Marietta has no separate landmark-tree registry, but its code singles out large, healthy 'specimen trees' for special…

Walton County's Land Development Ordinance protects 'specimen and historical trees' as part of its tree preservation…

Alpharetta's protection for individual tree species is built into the Specimen Tree definition: a tree qualifies for…

Augusta-Richmond County lets owners petition to designate landmark trees, which then cannot be destroyed or endangered…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, the Section 14-52(a) specimen tree table sets a protection threshold by species…

Clayton County singles out large, old, or historically significant trees as 'specimen trees' for extra protection under…

Columbus, Georgia bars cutting, damaging or killing a protected tree, a Beautification Plan Tree, Public Protected Tree…

Removing a county arborist-designated specimen tree anywhere in unincorporated Fulton County is unlawful without the…

Every tree growing on Glynn County property, including road rights-of-way, parks, and government buildings and yards…

Gwinnett County's specimen-tree rules single out four native flowering species -- redbud, dogwood, serviceberry, and…

South Fulton's Tree Preservation Ordinance protects specific tree species once they reach a set diameter: large…

Atlanta protects trees by size, not species: any tree 6 inches DBH or larger (12 inches for pines) needs a city…

DeKalb County's tree ordinance protects trees by size rather than species. Under § 14-1, any existing, healthy, living…

Effingham County protects specific tree species once they hit a minimum trunk diameter: Tier 1 species like live oak…

In unincorporated Fayette County, trees meeting specimen-size thresholds get special protection under Development Code…

Floyd County's Unified Land Development Code sets species-specific size thresholds for protected "significant tree"…

Unincorporated Hall County protects trees rated a "significant tree" under UDC Sec. 8.3.2: hardwoods and softwoods 18…

Macon-Bibb County protects individual high-value trees on public property through a case-by-case 'specimen tree'…

Roswell, Georgia grants elevated 'specimen tree' protection based on species group and trunk size, from 8-inch dogwoods…

In the City of Stonecrest, homeowners may remove up to five trees a year from a single-family lot without going through…

In Downtown Alpharetta, street trees go in the curbside planter strip at fixed spacing set by UDC Sec. 2.3.7: 40 feet…

Commercial developments in Atlanta must plant street trees along every public and private street frontage, spaced no…

Augusta-Richmond County sets minimum planting distances from curbs and sidewalks by tree size, requires a treelawn…

New streets built inside Barrow County's Destination 211 (D211) Overlay District must include a planting strip with…

In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 14-364 restricts street planting strips to trees on a list kept by the city…

Unincorporated Carroll County, Georgia requires a landscaped street-tree strip for multi-family, retail, office and…

Any subdivision of 12 or more lots in unincorporated Catoosa County must plant street trees under UDC Section 4.06.01…

New residential subdivisions in unincorporated Chatham County must plant canopy street trees inside dedicated Tree…

Every Clayton County subdivision must line its streets with trees: Sec. 86-160 requires one street tree for every 40…

Columbus, Georgia's City Arborist must prepare a street tree planting plan and program for major arterial and collector…

New commercial, office and industrial developments in unincorporated DeKalb, plus denser residential projects, must…

Development in unincorporated Effingham County must plant street trees no farther than 50 feet apart, prioritize native…

In unincorporated Gordon County, tree lawn and spacing standards apply to new commercial development inside the New…

Non-residential development in unincorporated Gwinnett County must plant one street tree per 50 linear feet of…

In the East and West Jackson Corridor Overlay Districts, Sec. 448 of the Unified Development Code requires a 15-foot…

New residential subdivisions in Marietta must plant street trees along road frontage as part of the required 10-foot…

In the CRS Collaborative Residential Subdivision zoning district, unincorporated Rockdale County requires street trees…

Roswell's Unified Development Code requires one shade tree every 40 feet on center along all city streets, or one…

In the City of Smyrna, Georgia, a street tree is any overstory tree along a public right-of-way or private street…

In the City of Stonecrest, only trees on the Director of Community Development's approved list may be planted in street…

In Chickamauga Battlefield Corridor Overlay District conservation subdivisions, Walker County Code § 22-637(c) requires…

Any development along Walton County's Parkway Corridor Overlay District must plant street trees inside a required…

New residential development inside a U-PUD zoning district in unincorporated Whitfield County must plant street trees…

South Fulton does not blanket every subdivision street with mandatory street trees. Under Subdivision Regulations…

Bulloch County's only street tree rule sits inside its conservation subdivision street design standards, in…

Forsyth County's Unified Development Code encourages, but does not require, street tree plantings inside Conservation…