There is no general county tree-removal permit for private lots. Tree protection applies inside protected stream buffers, where clearing is barred, and to 'high value trees' and required-landscape trees on regulated development.
Guilford County does not require a permit to remove trees on an ordinary single-family lot. Formal protection kicks in through the watershed and buffer rules of UDO Subsection 9. In protected riparian buffers no new clearing, grading, or development may occur in violation of the ordinance, and uses resulting in tree removal are restricted or need a variance. The code defines a 'high value tree' by trunk size and protects it in watershed areas. On commercial and multi-family developments, trees preserved to meet required planting yards under 6.2 must be protected. For land-disturbing projects over an acre, an erosion/sediment plan approval is required before clearing.
Unlawful buffer clearing may require restoration and a variance; land-disturbance without a required plan carries civil penalties up to $5,000 per violation, each day separate.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Backyard composting for your own yard and food waste is allowed; the county has no ordinance banning home compost bins. The public-nuisance code does bar acc...
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Guilford County has no ordinance banning or specifically regulating artificial turf on residential lots. Because turf is an impervious-type surface, it may c...
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Guilford County does not mandate native plants for private yards, but its Unified Development Ordinance sets planting standards for required landscape and bu...
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Rain barrels and cisterns are legal; Guilford County has no ordinance banning or restricting rainwater capture. Greensboro even offers a residential rain-bar...
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Guilford County itself does not run a drinking-water utility and sets no lawn-watering ordinance. Outdoor-watering limits come from your city water provider'...
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The county's minimum-housing code requires every yard to be kept free of noxious weeds or plant growth detrimental to health. Separately, a public-nuisance o...
See how Guilford County's tree removal permits rules stack up against other locations.
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