Buncombe County issues no standalone tree-removal permit for ordinary private lots. But clearing that disturbs one acre or more (or a quarter acre in a designated Hillside Subdivision) requires an erosion-control permit, and Steep Slope/Protected Ridge overlays protect required screening trees.
You do not apply for a county tree-cutting permit to remove trees on a normal parcel. The permits that touch tree clearing are erosion and sedimentation control permits: Buncombe County requires an erosion-control permit for land-disturbing activities of one acre or more, and for a quarter acre or more within a designated Hillside Subdivision. Separately, in the Steep Slope and Protected Ridge overlays, screening trees tied to a hillside structure are protected and must meet native-species and spacing standards. Watershed buffers along perennial streams must also stay vegetated. Beginning land-disturbing work before obtaining a required erosion permit doubles the plan-review fee.
Land-disturbing without a required erosion permit doubles review fees and exposes you to state Sedimentation Pollution Control Act civil penalties.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Buncombe County, NC
Buncombe County has no ordinance using the word 'hoarding,' but Sec. 6-57 prohibits keeping animals in numbers or conditions that constitute a public nuisanc...
Buncombe County, NC
Buncombe County's animal code has no general wildlife-feeding ban, but it prohibits keeping wild animals (Sec. 6-61). In bear-heavy western NC, the state Wil...
Buncombe County, NC
Home composting is permitted in Buncombe County (NC). There is no county ordinance banning or licensing backyard compost piles. The county actively promotes ...
Buncombe County, NC
Buncombe County has no ordinance prohibiting artificial turf on residential property. In the Steep Slope and Protected Ridge overlays and in watersheds, howe...
Buncombe County, NC
Buncombe County does not require native landscaping on ordinary lots, but in the Steep Slope and Protected Ridge overlays, required screening trees must be n...
Buncombe County, NC
Rain barrels and cisterns are legal in Buncombe County (NC). North Carolina does not restrict residential rainwater collection, and the county encourages it ...
See how Buncombe County's tree removal permits rules stack up against other locations.
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