Forsyth County, GA Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- UDC § 19-6.1(J), Street Trees
- Legal status
- Encouraged, not mandatory
- Where it applies
- Conservation Subdivisions only, Chapter 19
- Reviewing authority
- Director of Engineering
- Placement standard
- No traffic safety hazard
- Related survey
- Tree cover report required under § 19-7.2(H)
Summary
Forsyth County's Unified Development Code encourages, but does not require, street tree plantings inside Conservation Subdivisions. UDC § 19-6.1(J) lets developers plant street trees along interior roads only where the Director of Engineering confirms they will not create a traffic safety hazard. No comparable street-tree or parkway-planting mandate applies to conventional subdivisions built under Chapter 18 or the Chapter 11 residential districts.
Street Trees. Street tree plantings are encouraged, provided that they are located so as not to present a traffic safety hazard, as determined by the Director of Engineering.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 43).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 19 of the Forsyth County Unified Development Code creates the Conservation Subdivision option, an alternative to the standard lot-and-block layout under Chapter 18 (Subdivisions and Land Development) and Chapter 11 (Residential Districts) that lets a developer build the same overall unit count while setting aside open space. 1(J), headed "Street Trees," is the only place in the code that speaks directly to planting trees along a street or parkway. " That wording makes planting discretionary for the developer, not a condition of plat approval; the only hard requirement attached to it is the safety sign-off, which sits with the Director of Engineering rather than a separate landscaping board.
1(K). 2(H) must already document tree cover, existing forests, and specimen tree stands with critical root zones identified under the separate Forsyth County Tree Ordinance (Ord. No. 98), so the county has already surveyed what is on site before a developer decides whether to add new street trees. Outside the Conservation Subdivision option, the UDC and Code of Ordinances contain no separate parkway or street-tree planting mandate for unincorporated Forsyth County.
Violations & Fines
There is no fine for skipping street trees under 19-6.1(J) because planting is voluntary; the only enforcement point is the Director of Engineering's traffic-safety review of where trees are placed. A tree sited to block sight lines at an intersection or driveway can be rejected or required to move as part of that review. Curbs, drainage, and sidewalks in the same article are inspected separately under Forsyth County Construction Standards before the plat can record.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Forsyth County require street trees in new subdivisions?
Who decides where a street tree in a conservation subdivision can go?
Does the county track existing trees before a conservation subdivision is approved?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Forsyth County
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