Tree Removal Permit in Brookhaven, GA
Permit Summary
Do You Need a Tree Removal Permit?
Exemptions
The standard tree removal permit threshold is 4 inches DBH; trees below that threshold are not subject to the City's ordinary tree removal permit requirement. Section 14-49 exempts tree removal from horticultural properties such as farms, nurseries, or orchards, but not timber harvesting incidental to development; it also exempts necessary tree removals by public utilities or the City within permanent utility easements or public rights-of-way. A narrowly defined storm- or natural-event emergency follows different procedures; an ordinarily dead or hazardous standing tree is not automatically exempt.
Protected Trees & Removal Eligibility
Protected Tree Rules
Brookhaven's tree ordinance gives special protection to specimen trees meeting species-specific DBH thresholds and the required professional health assessment. Examples include most pines at 28 inches DBH and qualifying other conifers at 18 inches; broadleaf thresholds vary by species under section 14-52. Champion trees receive the highest level of protection and proposed removal requires a Board of Appeals variance. Approved healthy trees, boundary trees, and City right-of-way trees also receive protection, including limits on root-zone damage and unauthorized removal.
When Removal Is Allowed
On detached single-dwelling properties, removal of up to two live non-specimen trees in any 18-month period is generally allowed if required site tree density is maintained. Poor-condition or dead/dying/hazardous trees assessed by a qualified professional do not count against the live-tree limit, but still normally require a permit. The City Tree Canopy Preservation Manager may approve additional live-tree removals after considering site conditions. On other properties, the ordinance sets a live removal allowance for nonresidential zoning of one live tree per quarter acre per 18 months and requires continued landscaping/tree compliance. Specimen and champion trees have additional restrictions and mitigation or variance requirements.
Replacement Requirements
Replacement Rules
The ordinance establishes a general minimum of 130 qualifying DBH inches per acre and a 45% tree-canopy-cover standard, with site-specific calculations and provisions. Required replanting may be imposed where an approved removal leaves a density or canopy deficit, including front-yard tree requirements. Specimen-tree removals can require recompense through replacement trees or, where on-site planting cannot accommodate them, payment to the City tree fund. The codified section 14-52 gives specimen recompense of 1.5 DBH inches outside buildable limits and side setbacks, with a corresponding $240 per DBH-inch rate multiplied by 1.5 for unpaid replacement inches, and a $120 per DBH-inch rate inside those areas; the maximum assessable quantity is 300 inches per acre. Project- and species-specific conditions determine the actual obligation.
Arborist & Professional Requirements
Professional Requirements
Brookhaven recommends an ISA Certified Arborist for assessment of private trees and does not perform private-property health assessments. Where the ordinance requires a qualified professional, that means an ISA Certified Arborist, an American Society of Consulting Arborists Registered Consulting Arborist, or a Registered Forester. Professional Level 2 tree-health assessments are required for certain poor/dead/dying/hazardous-tree findings and development tree surveys; code-specified assessments must be current within 50 days before submission where required. Tree care prescriptions may be required for significant root-zone impacts.
Public Notice Requirements
Notice Rules
For ordinary non-development tree removal permits, the City-issued permit and public-notice sign must be physically displayed on the site at least five days before removal and during the removal work. The sign must be staked where visible and legible from a street frontage; trees approved for removal must be marked with flagging tape when the sign is posted. The five-day pre-posting rule does not apply to code-defined emergency tree removals. Separate notice procedures may apply to development or variance requests.
Emergency Tree Removal
Section 14-50 defines emergency tree removal narrowly: a tree has been completely displaced or severely damaged or compromised by a storm or other sudden natural event, causing a safety issue that can only be remedied by removing it. The ordinary non-emergency permit pathway and five-day sign pre-posting do not apply in the same way to such an emergency. A standing dead, dying, or hazardous (DDH) tree usually does not meet the emergency definition and ordinarily still needs a removal permit. The current codified emergency definition does not specify a universal after-the-fact application deadline.
Development & Special Areas
Development-Related Rules
For construction, redevelopment, minor site work, and land disturbance, tree removal and retention are evaluated through the applicable building/site/land-disturbance permit process. Code section 14-54 requires tree surveys and tree plans identifying species, DBH, tree condition, critical root zones, protection measures, and proposed removals; Level 2 assessments from qualified professionals are required for development tree surveys. Existing approved trees outside buildable limits cannot all be cleared for new development. Preserved trees require construction protection, and fences remain until the applicable City site-final/arborist inspection. A prior tree-removal permit reaching the ordinary live-tree quota limits later development removals during the 18-month period.
Special Zone Rules
Trees in protected stream buffers and required development buffers are subject to separate disturbance and restoration restrictions. Abutting private owners may not remove City right-of-way trees; the City or utilities have narrowly stated exemptions for necessary work in permanent utility easements or rights-of-way. Land-development work affecting a neighboring/boundary tree can require a boundary tree agreement or arborist care prescription, including for proposed removal or substantial critical-root-zone impacts. Overlay frontage and streetscape, parking-lot tree, and land-development requirements may require additional tree protection and planting.
What You Need Before Applying
Requirements
For a non-emergency removal of a tree at least 4 inches in diameter at breast height (DBH), obtain City approval before cutting, including when the tree is dead, dying, or hazardous. Identify the trees and existing site tree density, document the property's remaining trees, and comply with applicable preservation and mitigation conditions. Tree removal related to construction may be reviewed with a building, site, or land disturbance permit.
Required Documents
A completed two-page Tree Removal Application/Packet; the property address, ownership and applicant contact information and owner authorization; tree species, DBH, proposed removal reason, lot size, remaining tree count and remaining DBH/density; a clear photograph of each proposed tree; and a property sketch, survey, site plan, or aerial image identifying trees to remove, trees to retain, and structures. Provide a qualified-professional assessment or other supporting documentation, a tree replanting plan, or boundary-tree consent/agreement documentation when applicable.