Tree Removal Permits in Atlanta, GA

Verified against Atlanta city sources · last checked 2026-08-06

Do you need a permit?

Yes — a permit is required

Atlanta has the strongest private-property tree ordinance in the South and it applies to your own back yard. Any tree other than a pine at 6 inches DBH or larger, and any pine at 12 inches or larger, is a "regulated tree," and the code is blunt: no person shall remove or destroy one without a permit from the city arborist. That includes dead, dying and hazardous trees, and it includes invasive species. The permit itself is free. What costs money is recompense, and healthy-tree removals have to be advertised on signs in your own front yard so that neighbours can appeal.

Size threshold

Section 158-29(a)(2) applies the article to "All regulated trees on private property, which are all trees other than pines with a diameter-at-breast height ('DBH') equal to or greater than six inches, and pines with a DBH equal to or greater than 12 inches." DBH is "the diameter of the main stem(s) of a tree measured at four and one-half feet above" grade.

What's protected in Atlanta

Regulated trees — every non-pine at 6 inches DBH or more and every pine at 12 inches DBH or more, on private property. Permit required to remove or destroy.
Dead, dying and hazardous (DDH) trees — still require a permit under section 158-44, even though they carry no replacement or recompense obligation.
Invasive and undesirable species — section 158-47(a): "A permit is required to remove an invasive or undesirable tree with a DBH of six inches or greater." The species list is kept by the city arborist.
Boundary and co-owned trees — a near-total ban. Section 158-38(a)(1)a: the city arborist "may not issue a permit to remove or destroy a boundary tree on a lot zoned for or developed as a single-family residence unless an appeal to the Tree Conservation Commission has resulted in the finding that denial of a permit to remove such a tree constitutes a hardship."
Trees in a stream or wetland buffer — the city arborist "may not approve removal or destruction of trees within a stream or wetland buffer" unless a buffer encroachment has been authorised under city code section 74-306. A stream buffer runs 75 feet from a perennial or intermittent stream.
Trees in a floodplain — "No more than ten percent of the diameter inches of trees within a floodplain may be approved for removal" outside public projects.
Trees in a setback — section 158-51(c) allows a landscaping-improvement permit only "provided the tree is not located in a setback," so a front-yard tree inside the setback has no landscape-permit route at all.
Trees on public property and in the right-of-way, which are handled by a different office (the Forestry Division of the Department of Parks and Recreation) and need a permit at any size.

How to apply in Atlanta

1
Work out which track you are on. Dead, dying or hazardous is section 158-44. Invasive or undesirable species is section 158-47. A healthy tree is section 158-51, and for a healthy tree the only routes are permitted construction, permitted demolition, a landscaping-improvement permit, or a silvicultural prescription.
2
For a dead, dying or hazardous tree, apply to the city arborist with the property address and owner contact details, the contact information of any tree service engaged, the species, DBH, location and markings of each tree, and one or more photos. Seven or more trees requires an assessment by a registered tree professional.
3
Submitting the application grants the city arborist permission to enter and inspect, and you must clear obstacles so the tree can be examined. DDH permits are valid for six months and need no public posting.
4
For a healthy tree under a landscaping permit, submit a site plan with a survey of all regulated trees, with boundary trees shown and labelled. The tree may not be in a setback and impact must be minimised to the maximum extent practicable.
5
For a healthy tree, expect two rounds of public notice. Before the permit issues you must post a sign of at least six square feet, every 100 feet of street frontage, first announcing the application (minimum ten business days) and then announcing preliminary approval (seven business days, during which anyone in your NPU or within 500 feet can appeal).
6
Immediately after preliminary approval, mark every tree to be removed "with a large orange X painted on the street-facing side of the tree trunk."
7
Plant replacement trees or pay recompense. Standard replacement is "one caliper inch per DBH of each tree destroyed," and planting is credited at 1.25 times the planted caliper inches to push you toward replanting rather than paying.
8
Emergency route only: if a tree has an imminent likelihood of failure, call or email the city arborist for verbal or written approval. If you cannot reach them you may remove it, but you must apply for retroactive approval with photos within five business days or face recompense and fines.

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee: The permit is free. The Tree Conservation Commission states that tree removal "permits are free of charge in the City of Atlanta," and section 158-33(a)(6) confirms "There shall be no fee charged for the registration of arborists, foresters, landscape architects, and tree service companies." The cost that bites is recompense: "The established recompense value is $140.00, effective January 1, 2026," multiplied by the caliper inches you owe but do not replant. From January 1, 2027 it is adjusted annually for Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell MSA CPI-U and republished by January 15. An appeal to the Tree Conservation Commission carries a $75.00 filing fee, waivable for hardship.
Penalties: Section 158-86(b)(1): "A minimum fine of $500.00 shall be imposed for the first violation. A fine of $1,000.00 shall be imposed for each subsequent violation. Each tree destroyed in violation of the tree protection ordinance shall be considered a separate offense. Any violation that occurs within two years of a previous violation shall be treated as a subsequent violation." Recompense is owed on top. Where the arborist cannot determine how many trees were taken, the code assumes the worst: "the fine shall be calculated based on the illegal destruction of 60 trees per acre, prorated, and shall impose a fine of $200,000.00 per acre of land where the offense(s) occur," with replacement calculated on an assumed 1,000 DBH inches per acre. The city arborist may also issue stop work orders and citations to Atlanta Municipal Court.
Ordinance: City of Atlanta Code of Ordinances, Part II, Chapter 158 (Vegetation), Article II — Tree Protection, sections 158-26 through 158-90. Ord. No. 2025-19(24-O-1691), section 1, adopted June 24, 2025, repealed the former Article II in its entirety and enacted the current one. Amended throughout by Ord. No. 2026-03(26-O-1015), adopted February 11, 2026. Code current through Ordinance No. 2026-25(26-O-1312), enacted May 27, 2026 (Supp. No. 106).

Worth knowing

The rewrite really did happen. Atlanta spent years redrafting this ordinance and Ord. No. 2025-19(24-O-1691) finally repealed and replaced the entire tree article on June 24, 2025, with a further round of amendments on February 11, 2026. Anything written about Atlanta tree rules before mid-2025 is stale.
Hiring is regulated. Section 158-33 requires "All tree service companies doing business within the City of Atlanta" to register with the city arborist before conducting business, and any arborist signing removal paperwork must hold current ISA or ASCA certification. Registration is free and posted publicly. "Work performed in the city by an unregistered tree service company shall be punishable as a violation of this article." Ask for the registration before you sign anything.
A tree service that illegally destroys a tree loses its ability to work in Atlanta: written warning, then a six-month suspension, then a year per violation after that.
You cannot look up your neighbour and stay anonymous either way. Permits "shall be available for public inspection on the city's website," and the commission publishes a number to call to check whether a permit was issued or report unpermitted cutting: 404-865-8487.
The department split matters. The Department of City Planning has authority over private property; the Department of Parks and Recreation has authority over public property and the right-of-way. Calling the wrong one wastes a week.
Removing an invasive tree is not free of process. Even English-ivy-choked privet needs a permit at 6 inches DBH, though no posting is required and no recompense is owed unless you take seven or more without an associated building permit.
Recompense can be avoided by planting rather than paying, and the code deliberately makes planting cheaper: replacement trees are credited at 1.25 times their caliper inches. Replacement trees must be a minimum of 2.5 caliper inches and meet ANSI Z60.1 nursery standards.
A declared public emergency suspends the rules. Section 158-29(c): "During and immediately after a declared public emergency, such as a tornado, ice storm, flood, or other act of nature, the requirements of this article may be waived temporarily by the mayor or the mayor's designee."
Appeals are heard by the Tree Conservation Commission, a citizen board reachable at 404-330-6235, 55 Trinity Avenue SW, Suite 3800. Appeals of preliminary approval on private property must be filed within seven business days of the on-site posting; appeals of fines and recompense within 30 calendar days of the fine letter.
Applications can be filed online through the city's Accela portal at aca.accela.com/Atlanta_Ga.

What we could not confirm

We would rather tell you what we don't know than guess. Call the office below to confirm these before you cut.

— The two thresholds do not agree across city sources. The Tree Conservation Commission's permit page states that on private property you need a permit for "any tree of 6 inches or greater diameter-at-breast-height (dbh)... There are no exceptions, either by species or present condition," while the codified ordinance since June 2025 sets pines at 12 inches DBH. Both are reported here rather than reconciled; the commission page appears to predate the rewrite. Assume 6 inches unless the arborist confirms your tree is a pine.
— The commission's "How to Hire a Tree Company" page states that "The state of Georgia and City of Atlanta do not have licensing requirements for tree care companies or individual arborists." Section 158-33, adopted June 2025, requires every tree service company doing business in Atlanta to register with the city arborist. The page appears not to have been updated. Both are reported.
— The Arborist Division page on atlantaga.gov is not currently reachable — the city site returns a 404 for it and the site search returns no results for "arborist." The phone numbers and staff names above come from atlantatreecommission.com, the official Tree Conservation Commission site linked from the City of Atlanta boards and commissions page.
— Review turnaround time for any permit type. The ordinance sets no deadline for the city arborist to decide.
— Whether a tree under 6 inches DBH needs any approval on private property. The ordinance defines the regulated class at 6 inches and is silent below it.
— The current list of invasive and undesirable species, which the ordinance says is "maintained by, and available from, the city arborist" rather than published in the code.

Sources

Who to contact in Atlanta

Arborist Division, Office of Buildings, Atlanta Department of City Planning

404-865-8487 or 404-330-6874 (private property). Public and right-of-way trees: Forestry Division, Office of Parks, 404-546-6813. dzaparanick@atlantaga.gov (Arboricultural Manager, for imminent-hazard trees; direct line 404-330-6328) Official page

55 Trinity Avenue SW, Atlanta, GA 30303

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Size threshold

What's protected in Atlanta

Regulated trees — every non-pine at 6 inches DBH or more and every pine at 12 inches DBH or more, on private property. Permit required to remove or destroy.

Dead, dying and hazardous (DDH) trees — still require a permit under section 158-44, even though they carry no replacement or recompense obligation.

Invasive and undesirable species — section 158-47(a): "A permit is required to remove an invasive or undesirable tree with a DBH of six inches or greater." The species list is kept by the city arborist.

Boundary and co-owned trees — a near-total ban. Section 158-38(a)(1)a: the city arborist "may not issue a permit to remove or destroy a boundary tree on a lot zoned for or developed as a single-family residence unless an appeal to the Tree Conservation Commission has resulted in the finding that denial of a permit to remove such a tree constitutes a hardship."

Trees in a stream or wetland buffer — the city arborist "may not approve removal or destruction of trees within a stream or wetland buffer" unless a buffer encroachment has been authorised under city code section 74-306. A stream buffer runs 75 feet from a perennial or intermittent stream.

Trees in a floodplain — "No more than ten percent of the diameter inches of trees within a floodplain may be approved for removal" outside public projects.

Trees in a setback — section 158-51(c) allows a landscaping-improvement permit only "provided the tree is not located in a setback," so a front-yard tree inside the setback has no landscape-permit route at all.

Trees on public property and in the right-of-way, which are handled by a different office (the Forestry Division of the Department of Parks and Recreation) and need a permit at any size.

How to apply in Atlanta

1
Work out which track you are on. Dead, dying or hazardous is section 158-44. Invasive or undesirable species is section 158-47. A healthy tree is section 158-51, and for a healthy tree the only routes are permitted construction, permitted demolition, a landscaping-improvement permit, or a silvicultural prescription.
2
For a dead, dying or hazardous tree, apply to the city arborist with the property address and owner contact details, the contact information of any tree service engaged, the species, DBH, location and markings of each tree, and one or more photos. Seven or more trees requires an assessment by a registered tree professional.
3
Submitting the application grants the city arborist permission to enter and inspect, and you must clear obstacles so the tree can be examined. DDH permits are valid for six months and need no public posting.
4
For a healthy tree under a landscaping permit, submit a site plan with a survey of all regulated trees, with boundary trees shown and labelled. The tree may not be in a setback and impact must be minimised to the maximum extent practicable.
5
For a healthy tree, expect two rounds of public notice. Before the permit issues you must post a sign of at least six square feet, every 100 feet of street frontage, first announcing the application (minimum ten business days) and then announcing preliminary approval (seven business days, during which anyone in your NPU or within 500 feet can appeal).
6
Immediately after preliminary approval, mark every tree to be removed "with a large orange X painted on the street-facing side of the tree trunk."
7
Plant replacement trees or pay recompense. Standard replacement is "one caliper inch per DBH of each tree destroyed," and planting is credited at 1.25 times the planted caliper inches to push you toward replanting rather than paying.
8
Emergency route only: if a tree has an imminent likelihood of failure, call or email the city arborist for verbal or written approval. If you cannot reach them you may remove it, but you must apply for retroactive approval with photos within five business days or face recompense and fines.

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee

The permit is free. The Tree Conservation Commission states that tree removal "permits are free of charge in the City of Atlanta," and section 158-33(a)(6) confirms "There shall be no fee charged for the registration of arborists, foresters, landscape architects, and tree service companies." The cost that bites is recompense: "The established recompense value is $140.00, effective January 1, 2026," multiplied by the caliper inches you owe but do not replant. From January 1, 2027 it is adjusted annually for Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell MSA CPI-U and republished by January 15. An appeal to the Tree Conservation Commission carries a $75.00 filing fee, waivable for hardship.

Penalties

Section 158-86(b)(1): "A minimum fine of $500.00 shall be imposed for the first violation. A fine of $1,000.00 shall be imposed for each subsequent violation. Each tree destroyed in violation of the tree protection ordinance shall be considered a separate offense. Any violation that occurs within two years of a previous violation shall be treated as a subsequent violation." Recompense is owed on top. Where the arborist cannot determine how many trees were taken, the code assumes the worst: "the fine shall be calculated based on the illegal destruction of 60 trees per acre, prorated, and shall impose a fine of $200,000.00 per acre of land where the offense(s) occur," with replacement calculated on an assumed 1,000 DBH inches per acre. The city arborist may also issue stop work orders and citations to Atlanta Municipal Court.

Ordinance

City of Atlanta Code of Ordinances, Part II, Chapter 158 (Vegetation), Article II — Tree Protection, sections 158-26 through 158-90. Ord. No. 2025-19(24-O-1691), section 1, adopted June 24, 2025, repealed the former Article II in its entirety and enacted the current one. Amended throughout by Ord. No. 2026-03(26-O-1015), adopted February 11, 2026. Code current through Ordinance No. 2026-25(26-O-1312), enacted May 27, 2026 (Supp. No. 106).

Worth knowing

The rewrite really did happen. Atlanta spent years redrafting this ordinance and Ord. No. 2025-19(24-O-1691) finally repealed and replaced the entire tree article on June 24, 2025, with a further round of amendments on February 11, 2026. Anything written about Atlanta tree rules before mid-2025 is stale.
Hiring is regulated. Section 158-33 requires "All tree service companies doing business within the City of Atlanta" to register with the city arborist before conducting business, and any arborist signing removal paperwork must hold current ISA or ASCA certification. Registration is free and posted publicly. "Work performed in the city by an unregistered tree service company shall be punishable as a violation of this article." Ask for the registration before you sign anything.
A tree service that illegally destroys a tree loses its ability to work in Atlanta: written warning, then a six-month suspension, then a year per violation after that.
You cannot look up your neighbour and stay anonymous either way. Permits "shall be available for public inspection on the city's website," and the commission publishes a number to call to check whether a permit was issued or report unpermitted cutting: 404-865-8487.
The department split matters. The Department of City Planning has authority over private property; the Department of Parks and Recreation has authority over public property and the right-of-way. Calling the wrong one wastes a week.
Removing an invasive tree is not free of process. Even English-ivy-choked privet needs a permit at 6 inches DBH, though no posting is required and no recompense is owed unless you take seven or more without an associated building permit.
Recompense can be avoided by planting rather than paying, and the code deliberately makes planting cheaper: replacement trees are credited at 1.25 times their caliper inches. Replacement trees must be a minimum of 2.5 caliper inches and meet ANSI Z60.1 nursery standards.
A declared public emergency suspends the rules. Section 158-29(c): "During and immediately after a declared public emergency, such as a tornado, ice storm, flood, or other act of nature, the requirements of this article may be waived temporarily by the mayor or the mayor's designee."
Appeals are heard by the Tree Conservation Commission, a citizen board reachable at 404-330-6235, 55 Trinity Avenue SW, Suite 3800. Appeals of preliminary approval on private property must be filed within seven business days of the on-site posting; appeals of fines and recompense within 30 calendar days of the fine letter.
Applications can be filed online through the city's Accela portal at aca.accela.com/Atlanta_Ga.

What we could not confirm

We would rather tell you what we don't know than guess. Call the office below to confirm these before you cut.

— The two thresholds do not agree across city sources. The Tree Conservation Commission's permit page states that on private property you need a permit for "any tree of 6 inches or greater diameter-at-breast-height (dbh)... There are no exceptions, either by species or present condition," while the codified ordinance since June 2025 sets pines at 12 inches DBH. Both are reported here rather than reconciled; the commission page appears to predate the rewrite. Assume 6 inches unless the arborist confirms your tree is a pine.
— The commission's "How to Hire a Tree Company" page states that "The state of Georgia and City of Atlanta do not have licensing requirements for tree care companies or individual arborists." Section 158-33, adopted June 2025, requires every tree service company doing business in Atlanta to register with the city arborist. The page appears not to have been updated. Both are reported.
— The Arborist Division page on atlantaga.gov is not currently reachable — the city site returns a 404 for it and the site search returns no results for "arborist." The phone numbers and staff names above come from atlantatreecommission.com, the official Tree Conservation Commission site linked from the City of Atlanta boards and commissions page.
— Review turnaround time for any permit type. The ordinance sets no deadline for the city arborist to decide.
— Whether a tree under 6 inches DBH needs any approval on private property. The ordinance defines the regulated class at 6 inches and is silent below it.
— The current list of invasive and undesirable species, which the ordinance says is "maintained by, and available from, the city arborist" rather than published in the code.