Alpharetta, GA Tree Protection: Protected Tree Species (2026)

Section 3.2.2 of the Unified Development Code sets out the size criteria that trigger Specimen Tree status by genus. Pine trees in the Pinus genus qualify at 30 inches in diameter; cedars, arborvitae, and ecologically similar conifers qualify at 20 inches; sweetgum and tulip poplar qualify at 30 inches; beech, tupelo, persimmon, and sassafras qualify at 20 inches; and any other genus qualifies once it reaches 24 inches in diameter. Understory trees qualify at just 8 inches. Once a tree meets its species threshold, it becomes subject to the recompense and density-credit rules of Section 3.2.7 and the mandatory tree-protection-area barriers of Section 3.2.9, which require protective fencing around any tree within 30 feet of proposed grading, construction, or removal, inspected by the City before a land disturbance permit issues.

The code draws a sharper species line for the separate Tree of Quality category, which is meant for trees with historical significance, ideal form, or rarity as determined by the Director. Pine, yellow poplar, sweetgum, Bradford pear, Leyland cypress, and other invasive species are expressly disqualified from Tree of Quality status even though several of them can independently qualify as Specimen Trees under the diameter table. This split means enforcement depends on measuring the actual trunk diameter against the applicable genus, not on a general 'protected tree' list.