Apex requires Town review for tree removal only when triggered by development: trees in a Resource Conservation Area, in required landscape material, in a buffer yard, or designated for retention on an approved development plan. Application is through the Planning Department under Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) Article 8. NCGS 160D-921 preempts local tree-removal ordinances on present-use-value forestland and forester-managed forests, so Apex cannot impose a general tree-removal permit on private property outside the development context.
There is no general tree-removal permit for established residential lots in Apex. Town tree-removal review attaches only through UDO Article 8 mechanisms: (a) Resource Conservation Areas (RCAs) established under Section 8.1 after Site and Tree Survey review by the Planning Director; (b) required landscape material under Section 8.2 (Landscaping, Buffering, and Screening); (c) buffer yards required between incompatible uses or districts; and (d) trees designated for retention on an approved site plan, subdivision plat, or as a condition of rezoning. Outside those development triggers, Apex's authority is constrained by NCGS 160D-921, which prohibits local regulation of forestry on present-use-value forestland under Article 12, Chapter 105, or forestry conducted in accordance with a registered-forester plan, except in connection with development. The Town may, under NCGS 160D-921(c), deny a building permit or refuse to approve a site or subdivision plan for up to three years following a timber harvest that removes substantially all the trees that were protected under local development regulations. Applications related to development tree removal are submitted with development plan review through Apex Planning & Community Development; fees are scheduled by Town Council.
Removing a tree subject to UDO Article 8 protections without authorization is a violation enforced by Planning & Community Development with civil penalties and replacement obligations. NCGS 160D-921(c) allows Apex to deny building permits or refuse plats for up to three years after a non-compliant timber harvest. Trees cut on a neighbor's land without consent expose the actor to treble-damages liability under NCGS 1-539.1.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Apex, NC
Apex does not have a code provision specifically prohibiting or permitting artificial turf in residential or commercial landscapes. Where landscape material ...
Apex, NC
Apex does not mandate native plants in private landscapes but actively promotes them. The Town's Plant the Peak program installs native trees on residential ...
Apex, NC
Rainwater harvesting is legal and encouraged in Apex. North Carolina state law prohibits local governments from banning cisterns and rain barrels used for ir...
Apex, NC
Apex UDO Sec. 4.5.6 permits one Accessory Apartment per single-family lot. Attached accessory apartments have no size limit. Detached accessory apartments ar...
Apex, NC
Apex Town Code Sec. 13-62 limits Mobile Food Vendors to (a) private property with written owner permission, (b) Town-owned property with the Town Manager's w...
Apex, NC
Apex Town Code Chapter 13, Article IV (Sec. 13-60 through 13-69.5), adopted by Ordinance 2019-0305-02, requires every Mobile Food Vendor and Transient Food V...
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