Augusta-Richmond County, GA Tree Protection: Protected Tree Species (2026)
Key Facts
- Designation
- By petition, Tree Commission review, Commission approval
- Removal permit
- Required from Planning & Development Dept.
- Mitigation
- Replant equal value or pay Tree Mitigation Fund
- Enforcement
- Civil penalties under § 8-4-19
- Administered by
- Augusta Tree Commission
Summary
Augusta-Richmond County lets owners petition to designate landmark trees, which then cannot be destroyed or endangered without a Tree Commission-approved removal permit.
The Augusta Commission may, upon petition by the property owner, designate a tree as a landmark tree... Trees so designated shall thereafter be considered public landmarks and shall not be destroyed nor endangered except as recommended by the Tree Commission... A person requesting to remove a Landmark tree must obtain a permit from the Planning and Development Department by Tree Commission before the tree removal activities commence... Owners and persons who remove a Landmark Tree without a permit are subject to the civil penalties set out in Chapter 8-4-19.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Recodification).
Full Breakdown
Under the county's Tree Ordinance, the Augusta Commission may designate a landmark tree upon a property owner's petition and the Tree Commission's recommendation. Once designated, a tree becomes a protected public landmark. Removing one requires a permit from the Planning and Development Department issued through the Tree Commission, granted only for narrow reasons such as disease, safety hazards, or unavoidable conflict with a building footprint, and mitigation planting or a payment to the Tree Mitigation Fund is required when a landmark tree is removed or lost.
Violations & Fines
Removing or endangering a designated landmark tree without a permit exposes the owner to civil penalties under Code Chapter 8-4-19; permitted removals still require mitigation replanting or a fund payment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can any tree become a landmark tree?
What happens if a landmark tree is removed without a permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Augusta-Richmond County
Compare Augusta-Richmond County to another location·View the Georgia tree protection overview
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