Durham, NC Tree Protection: Heritage & Protected Trees (2026)
Key Facts
- Major evergreen canopy tree threshold
- 18 inches dbh or greater
- Major deciduous canopy tree threshold
- 12 inches dbh or greater
- Major understory tree threshold
- 8 inches dbh or greater
- Preservation incentive
- 1.5x tree-coverage credit under Sec. 8.3.5
- Documentation required
- Major specimen tree survey on site plans
- No individual landmark registry
- Protection is size-based, not name-based
Summary
Durham does not designate individually named heritage trees, but its UDO protects large 'major specimen trees', evergreens 18 inches dbh or greater, deciduous canopy trees 12 inches or greater, and understory trees 8 inches or greater, with a development incentive: preserving one earns tree-coverage credit at one and one-half times the size of its protection zone under Sec. 8.3.5.
Specimen Tree, Major: Any evergreen canopy tree 18 inches dbh or greater, any deciduous canopy tree 12 inches dbh or greater and any understory tree (deciduous or evergreen) eight inches dbh or greater, except any tree listed as a nonnative invasive plant by the U.S. Forest Service or prohibited pursuant to the Landscape Manual for Durham, North Carolina, also referred to as the Landscape Manual. ... Major specimen trees that are saved and protected under the requirements of paragraph 8.3.2 shall be granted tree coverage credit at one and one-half times the size of the tree protection zone.
Full Breakdown
Durham's UDO has no landmark or heritage-tree registry for individually named trees; instead Article 8's tree-coverage program singles out large trees by size and gives developers a reason to keep them. Sec. S. Forest Service's nonnative-invasive list or barred by the city's Landscape Manual. Under Sec. 5, a major specimen tree that is saved and protected under the general vegetation-protection standards of Sec. 2, which require a tree protection fence at least a six-foot radius, or one foot per inch of dbh, around the trunk, installed before grading begins and kept up through construction, earns the development one and one-half times the normal tree-coverage credit for the size of its protection zone.
That bonus does not apply to major specimen trees already sitting inside floodways, wetland buffers, steep slope areas, riparian buffers, or a Durham Natural Inventory Site, since those areas get separate protection. To claim the credit, the applicant must submit a major specimen tree survey showing the location, species, size and protection zone of every tree claimed, included on the site, landscape, grading, utility, demolition and erosion control plans.
Violations & Fines
There is no standalone criminal penalty for removing a major specimen tree; the consequence runs through the development approval process. A site plan that fails to document or protect a claimed major specimen tree loses the extra 1.5x tree-coverage credit and may fall short of the tract's required coverage percentage, which can hold up plan approval. Broader tree-protection violations, such as disturbing a protected tree's protection zone during grading, are enforceable under UDO Sec. 15.4, with a civil penalty of up to $500 per violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Durham have a heritage or landmark tree program?
What size does a tree have to be to get extra protection credit in Durham?
What do I have to submit to claim credit for a major specimen tree in Durham?
Can I remove a major specimen tree on my Durham development site?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Durham
Compare Durham to another location·View the North Carolina tree protection overview
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