Tree Removal Permit in Atlanta, GA
Permit Summary
Do You Need a Tree Removal Permit?
Exemptions
Private-property trees below the general regulated-size thresholds—non-pines under 6 inches DBH and pines under 12 inches DBH—are outside the general private-tree applicability provisions unless separately protected, such as replacement trees or trees planted using Tree Trust Funds. Licensed nurseries and tree farms are exempt for trees planted and grown for sale or another qualifying public purpose. Public trees remain regulated regardless of size.
Protected Trees & Removal Eligibility
Protected Tree Rules
Atlanta's Tree Protection Ordinance regulates qualifying private trees and all public trees, and separately protects replacement trees and trees planted with Tree Trust Funds at any size. The ordinance also designates priority trees by species and size and requires tree plans to distinguish priority and non-priority regulated trees. Boundary and co-owned trees are subject to special procedures, and removal of protected healthy trees must follow the applicable preservation, replacement, recompense, notice, and appeal rules.
When Removal Is Allowed
Regulated trees may be approved for removal through specific ordinance pathways, including DDH status, invasive/undesirable species, construction or land disturbance, demolition, landscaping, silvicultural prescriptions, and qualifying federal consent-decree work. Healthy-tree removal for construction may be approved as part of the related development permit. For demolition, the City Arborist must find that demolition is infeasible without the removal. Landscaping removal may be approved when the tree is not in a setback and tree impacts have been minimized to the maximum extent practicable. Trees on earthen dams may also be permitted for removal under the ordinance's special pathway.
Replacement Requirements
Replacement Rules
Healthy trees approved for removal generally require replacement by an equivalent number of caliper inches, monetary recompense, or both, subject to ordinance credits and exceptions. For 2026, monetary recompense uses an established value of $140 per unplanted caliper inch owed after credits. Public trees are generally subject to inch-for-inch replacement, with a preference for replacing each removed tree where feasible. DDH and invasive/undesirable removals generally have reduced or no replacement obligations, subject to stated exceptions; tree removal from earthen dams is exempt from replacement and recompense.
Arborist & Professional Requirements
Professional Requirements
Tree service companies and professionals who prepare or sign tree-protection plans, tree-permit documents, arboricultural prescriptions, or similar submissions must register with the City before performing covered work. Arborists signing tree-permit documents must maintain current ISA or ASCA credentials, while foresters and landscape architects must maintain applicable Georgia licensure. Private property owners are not required to register merely to apply for work on their own property. Public tree work must be performed or directed by a certified arborist under Parks requirements.
Public Notice Requirements
Notice Rules
Healthy-tree removal permits generally require site posting. Signs must be at least 6 square feet and placed prominently as required by the City. For private healthy-tree removals, the initial application posting lasts at least 10 business days and remains until preliminary approval; after preliminary approval, a second posting gives a 7-business-day appeal period. Healthy public-tree removals use a 15-calendar-day posting after preliminary approval. Proposed removal trees are marked with an orange X after preliminary approval, and the preliminary approval is also posted online. DDH, invasive/undesirable, earthen-dam, and specified consent-decree removals are exempt from ordinary posting requirements.
Emergency Tree Removal
When a private tree has an imminent likelihood of failure and presents an immediate danger, the applicant may request immediate removal approval from the City Arborist by phone or email. If the City Arborist cannot be reached, the tree may be removed without preapproval, but the owner or agent must submit a retroactive tree-removal application within five business days with photographs showing the imminent hazard and any other requested documentation. Failure to justify the emergency removal can result in replacement, recompense, and enforcement. Imminently dangerous public trees should be reported through 911.
Development & Special Areas
Development-Related Rules
Permit applications involving potential tree impacts must complete the City's Arborist Meeting and Arborist Plan Review before submission. Development-related tree plans must document regulated and boundary trees, proposed impacts and removals, critical-root-zone and structural-root-plate protection, replacement planting, and recompense as applicable. Saved trees generally require protection of at least 80 percent of the critical root zone and the full structural root plate; impacts in the ordinance's conditional range may require an approved arboricultural prescription. Development projects are also subject to Arborist Division inspections, including final tree compliance before certificate of occupancy or completion where required.
Special Zone Rules
Within stream or wetland buffers, the City Arborist generally may approve tree removal associated with development only in the portion of the buffer where an authorized buffer encroachment permits disturbance and the removal is necessary for the authorized construction. Within floodplains, no more than 10 percent of the diameter inches of trees may generally be approved for removal unless the removal is necessary for completion of a public project and authorized construction. DDH and invasive/undesirable trees may be permitted within stream or wetland buffers outside a development encroachment for hazard mitigation, forest management, or buffer-enhancement purposes subject to ordinance conditions. Public rights-of-way, parks, and other public property are separately regulated by the Parks City Arborist.
What You Need Before Applying
Requirements
For a regulated private tree, obtain City Arborist approval before removal; for a public or right-of-way tree, obtain the applicable Parks permit or authorization. Healthy-tree applications must comply with applicable site-plan, tree-preservation, replacement/recompense, and notice requirements. Development applications that may affect trees must complete the City's required Arborist Meeting before permit submission. DDH, invasive/undesirable, emergency, and other special removal pathways have separate requirements.
Required Documents
Healthy-tree applications tied to construction, demolition, land disturbance, or landscaping generally require a site plan identifying regulated and boundary trees, species, DBH, locations, proposed removals and impacts, tree-protection measures, replacement planting, and recompense calculations; professional certification or a survey may be required depending on the project. DDH applications require property and tree information plus photographs, and seven or more DDH trees require assessment by a registered tree professional. Invasive/undesirable applications also require photographs, with additional professional documentation for larger groups of trees.