Arlington County, VA Tree Protection: Protected Tree Species (2026)

Article III of Chapter 67 sets up Arlington's only tree-protection status: individual designation, not a species list. A County urban forester or an arborist designated by the County Manager recommends specific trees to the County Board for designation as "heritage" (notable historic or cultural interest), "memorial" (commemorating), "specimen" (outstanding size or quality for its species), or "street" (growing in the right-of-way) trees, per the definitions in § 67-3. Section 67-6(A) excludes single-family-dwelling parcels from designation unless the owner consents, though other private parcels and public land can be designated without owner consent.

Under § 67-6(B), the County Manager must notify a private owner by certified mail as soon as practicable after a recommendation is received and again at least 30 days before the County Board's hearing; the owner may request up to a six-month extension. Section 67-6(C) bars the owner from destroying the tree while the designation decision is pending. Once designated, § 67-7 bars removal or damage unless the County Board finds an overriding need for public improvements or a severe hardship for reasonable use of the site, and any permission the Board grants must be a writing stating the findings and any required replacement planting to approximate the lost canopy.

The County Manager may still permit removal without a Board finding if an arborist or urban forester determines the tree is dead, irreversibly diseased or damaged, or hazardous. Section 67-6(D) requires the County to compensate an owner if designation amounts to a taking of private property.