Tree Removal Permits in Macon, GA

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

Do you need a permit?

It depends on the tree

Macon-Bibb runs two separate codes and the one that sounds like the tree ordinance does not govern your yard. Chapter 17, Article II, "Tree Preservation, Protection and Replacement," applies only to public rights-of-way and county-owned property. Private trees fall under the Planning and Zoning Commission's Comprehensive Land Development Resolution, whose tree removal permit bites only on "the removal or effective removal of a mass of trees, as opposed to selective thinning." So a normal residential removal is generally outside it. Two things do catch homeowners: a property in a design review district, where taking any tree over 4 inches needs a Certificate of Appropriateness, and Lake Tobesofkee lakefront, where the threshold drops to 3 inches.

Size threshold

Countywide on private property, 10 inches DBH and only for mass removal. CLDR Section 31.03: "For purposes of this section, a tree removal activity shall mean the removal or effective removal of a mass of trees, as opposed to selective thinning of trees in keeping with standard forestry practices. For the purpose of this definition, a tree shall be any hardwood or evergreen having a diameter of ten (10) inches or greater at breast height, (four and one-half (4½) feet)." In a design review district the threshold is far lower: design review and a certificate of appropriateness are required for "The removal of any tree within a design district over four (4) inches in diameter at a height of four (4) feet" where the change is "clearly and readily visible from any public right-of-way." At Lake Tobesofkee, "the removal of any trees with a diameter of more than three inches is prohibited without prior written approval of the commission."

What's protected in Macon

Trees over 4 inches in diameter at 4 feet inside a design review district, where a Certificate of Appropriateness is required. The design districts are HR1, HR2, HR3, HPD, HPD-BH, HC, CBD-1 and CBD-2, which the Planning and Zoning Commission names publicly as Cherokee Heights, Central Business District, InTown, Vineville and Beall's Hill.
Trees over 3 inches at Lake Tobesofkee, plus "Native ornamental trees such as dogwoods, magnolias, flowering fruit trees, etc. of any size," which "may not be removed without prior written approval of the commission."
Specimen trees on public land — "a tree which has been determined by the forester to be of high value because of its type, size, age or other professional criteria, and has been so designated in the official records of Macon-Bibb County."
Any tree on county-owned property or in a public right-of-way, and trees in the tree protection zone that extends onto adjacent private land.
Trees in the River Protection District overlay, which covers 100 feet horizontally on both sides of the Ocmulgee River — though ordinary homeowner yard work is expressly excluded from what counts as land disturbing activity there.

How to apply in Macon

1
Call Planning and Zoning at 478-241-2554 first to confirm whether your parcel is in a design review district. That single question decides most Macon cases.
2
Where a tree removal permit is required, CLDR Section 31.03(2): "Any person desiring a permit as required by this section shall submit an application and plan to the zoning enforcement officer. This plan shall indicate the limits of clearing of the proposed development." Where a site plan or subdivision plan is required, that approved plan itself "shall constitute a tree removal permit."
3
Applications go through the Planning and Zoning permit portal.
4
In a design district, some removals are handled administratively rather than by full board hearing. The zoning enforcement officer may grant outright "Minor landscape and minor site features including driveways, walkways, and the removal of small, dead or diseased trees," and may forward with a recommendation the "Removal of dead and diseased trees or trees causing or in imminent danger of causing damage to existing structures."
5
At Lake Tobesofkee, "Tree removal requests must include a tree survey performed by a registered forester, professional landscape architect or arborist."

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee: Not published in a readable form. The Planning and Zoning Commission publishes a fee schedule, Resolution R25-006 dated June 2025, but the PDF is a scanned image with no text layer, so the amounts could not be read. Neither CLDR Section 31.03 nor the design review chapter states a fee in the ordinance text. Call 478-241-2554.
Penalties: On private property, CLDR Section 33.01 makes a violation "a misdemeanor, punishable as provided by law," enforceable in Municipal Court or State Court, and "Each and every day of such violation shall be a separate offense." On public land, Code section 17-38(c): "In addition to mitigation, the court may impose a fine not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00) for each violation of the article. Each day during which any violation of the provisions of this article shall occur or continue shall be a separate violation." Section 17-36(c) adds that anyone violating the replacement requirements "shall be charged the cost of replacement of said tree or at least five hundred dollars ($500.00), whichever is greater," valued using the International Society of Arboriculture Guide for Plant Appraisal.
Ordinance: Two codes. Private property: Macon-Bibb County Comprehensive Land Development Resolution, Chapter 31 (Environmental Conservation) Section 31.03, amended June 25, 1990 by ZA90-06-02 with a review factor amended July 11, 2022 by ZA22-001; and Chapter 28 (Design Review) Section 28.06, added July 11, 2016 by ZA16-001, renumbered 2022 and amended by Resolution of December 9, 2024(1). Public land: Code of Ordinances Chapter 17, Article II, sections 17-30 through 17-41, from the Ordinance of February 21, 2017(1). Soil erosion exemptions at Code section 21-3, Chapter 21 having been replaced in its entirety by Ord. No. O-16-0090 adopted December 20, 2016. Code of Ordinances current through Ordinance No. O-26-0002 of February 3, 2026; the CLDR through Resolution No. ZA25-001 of July 28, 2025.

Worth knowing

Trees near your property line are the trap nobody warns about. Section 17-35(a) reaches private owners directly: "a person who owns property adjacent to Macon-Bibb County-owned property or the public rights-of-way shall obtain approval of the forester" before disturbing any tree on that county land or in the tree protection zone. A silence rule follows: if the forester has not responded within sixty days, approval is presumed.
The county will not haul the debris. Section 22-14: "The owner of property within Macon-Bibb County on which trees are cut down whether by the owner or by another is required to promptly, following the cutting, remove or have removed from property at his own expense all tree trunks, logs, limbs and tops and other debris," and "Residue, regardless of size, from commercial tree cutting activities will not be removed by Macon-Bibb County." Put debris haul-off in the contract.
Storms suspend the public-land rules. Section 17-39: "In case of official emergencies, such as windstorms, ice storms, or other disasters, the requirements of this division shall be waived so that the requirements of this article would in no way hinder private or public work to restore order."
A dangerous tree on private property is a public nuisance and the forester may come onto your land. Section 17-37(b): "The forester shall have the authority to enter onto private property whereon there is located a tree or portions thereof, that is reasonably suspected to pose an imminent danger or a public nuisance."
Macon-Bibb does not license tree services. A full-text search of both codes returns no tree surgeon or arborist licensing provision. What applies is the general occupation tax under section 26-201, which requires a business registration certificate displayed at the place of business, or shown to the Tax Commissioner on request where the business has no permanent Macon-Bibb location.
Despite the Cherry Blossom Capital branding, there is no ordinance singling out Yoshino cherries for protection. A full-text search of both codes for "cherry blossom" and "Yoshino" turns up only the Cherry Blossom Festival as a pension employer and a hotel-motel tax recipient.
Historic zoning districts contain no tree provisions of their own. The tree control in historic areas comes through the Design Review chapter, which sweeps those districts in by definition.
There are two tree boards. The Tree Commission under section 17-33 has 14 members, hears appeals from the forester, and includes a historic district representative and two trained professionals. A separate Beautification Tree Committee appointed by the Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful Board administers the street and park tree plan.
On public land, replacement is measured in caliper inches: "The aggregate or combined caliper inches of replacement trees shall equal the total diameter inches (dbh) of the tree(s) removed."

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 single biggest ambiguity is CLDR Section 31.03 itself. It opens with a sweeping prohibition — "No person shall cut or otherwise destroy trees in Macon-Bibb County" — which on its face reaches every tree on every parcel, then narrows twice in the same paragraph, by the soil erosion exemptions and by defining the regulated act as mass removal rather than selective thinning. The narrow reading is what the rest of the chapter and Section 27.06(1)(d) support, but "mass of trees" is nowhere quantified and the text dates to 1990. This is why the call to 478-241-2554 matters.
— The permit fee. Planning and Zoning Fee Schedule Resolution R25-006 of June 2025 is an image-only scanned PDF with no text layer.
— Whether "Section III of the Macon-Bibb County Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Standards adopted... June 25, 1990," which Section 31.03 cross-references, still exists as a separate document. Chapter 21 of the Code was replaced in its entirety in 2016; section 21-3's exemptions read as the operative successor, and 31.03 anticipates that, but the cross-reference is stale on its face.
— Whether a post-consolidation Arboricultural Specifications Manual has been adopted. Section 17-34(a)(4) says "The most recent version of the ASM used by the City of Macon shall remain in effect until such time as a new ASM is adopted," so the governing manual for public tree work may still be a pre-2014 City of Macon document.
— A direct phone or email for the county Forester or Parks and Beautification. The county's own helpful phone numbers page is broken and lists only the main switchboard, 478-751-7400.
— Tree City USA status. Macon-Bibb has a Tree Commission and a tree plan requirement, which are the structural prerequisites, but current designation could not be confirmed from a primary source.

Sources

Who to contact in Macon

Macon-Bibb County Planning and Zoning Commission

478-241-2554 info@mbpz.org Official page

3661 Eisenhower Parkway, Suite MB104, Macon, GA 31206

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Size threshold

What's protected in Macon

Trees over 4 inches in diameter at 4 feet inside a design review district, where a Certificate of Appropriateness is required. The design districts are HR1, HR2, HR3, HPD, HPD-BH, HC, CBD-1 and CBD-2, which the Planning and Zoning Commission names publicly as Cherokee Heights, Central Business District, InTown, Vineville and Beall's Hill.

Trees over 3 inches at Lake Tobesofkee, plus "Native ornamental trees such as dogwoods, magnolias, flowering fruit trees, etc. of any size," which "may not be removed without prior written approval of the commission."

Specimen trees on public land — "a tree which has been determined by the forester to be of high value because of its type, size, age or other professional criteria, and has been so designated in the official records of Macon-Bibb County."

Any tree on county-owned property or in a public right-of-way, and trees in the tree protection zone that extends onto adjacent private land.

Trees in the River Protection District overlay, which covers 100 feet horizontally on both sides of the Ocmulgee River — though ordinary homeowner yard work is expressly excluded from what counts as land disturbing activity there.

How to apply in Macon

1
Call Planning and Zoning at 478-241-2554 first to confirm whether your parcel is in a design review district. That single question decides most Macon cases.
2
Where a tree removal permit is required, CLDR Section 31.03(2): "Any person desiring a permit as required by this section shall submit an application and plan to the zoning enforcement officer. This plan shall indicate the limits of clearing of the proposed development." Where a site plan or subdivision plan is required, that approved plan itself "shall constitute a tree removal permit."
3
Applications go through the Planning and Zoning permit portal.
4
In a design district, some removals are handled administratively rather than by full board hearing. The zoning enforcement officer may grant outright "Minor landscape and minor site features including driveways, walkways, and the removal of small, dead or diseased trees," and may forward with a recommendation the "Removal of dead and diseased trees or trees causing or in imminent danger of causing damage to existing structures."
5
At Lake Tobesofkee, "Tree removal requests must include a tree survey performed by a registered forester, professional landscape architect or arborist."

Fees, penalties, and the ordinance

Fee

Not published in a readable form. The Planning and Zoning Commission publishes a fee schedule, Resolution R25-006 dated June 2025, but the PDF is a scanned image with no text layer, so the amounts could not be read. Neither CLDR Section 31.03 nor the design review chapter states a fee in the ordinance text. Call 478-241-2554.

Penalties

On private property, CLDR Section 33.01 makes a violation "a misdemeanor, punishable as provided by law," enforceable in Municipal Court or State Court, and "Each and every day of such violation shall be a separate offense." On public land, Code section 17-38(c): "In addition to mitigation, the court may impose a fine not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00) for each violation of the article. Each day during which any violation of the provisions of this article shall occur or continue shall be a separate violation." Section 17-36(c) adds that anyone violating the replacement requirements "shall be charged the cost of replacement of said tree or at least five hundred dollars ($500.00), whichever is greater," valued using the International Society of Arboriculture Guide for Plant Appraisal.

Ordinance

Two codes. Private property: Macon-Bibb County Comprehensive Land Development Resolution, Chapter 31 (Environmental Conservation) Section 31.03, amended June 25, 1990 by ZA90-06-02 with a review factor amended July 11, 2022 by ZA22-001; and Chapter 28 (Design Review) Section 28.06, added July 11, 2016 by ZA16-001, renumbered 2022 and amended by Resolution of December 9, 2024(1). Public land: Code of Ordinances Chapter 17, Article II, sections 17-30 through 17-41, from the Ordinance of February 21, 2017(1). Soil erosion exemptions at Code section 21-3, Chapter 21 having been replaced in its entirety by Ord. No. O-16-0090 adopted December 20, 2016. Code of Ordinances current through Ordinance No. O-26-0002 of February 3, 2026; the CLDR through Resolution No. ZA25-001 of July 28, 2025.

Worth knowing

Trees near your property line are the trap nobody warns about. Section 17-35(a) reaches private owners directly: "a person who owns property adjacent to Macon-Bibb County-owned property or the public rights-of-way shall obtain approval of the forester" before disturbing any tree on that county land or in the tree protection zone. A silence rule follows: if the forester has not responded within sixty days, approval is presumed.
The county will not haul the debris. Section 22-14: "The owner of property within Macon-Bibb County on which trees are cut down whether by the owner or by another is required to promptly, following the cutting, remove or have removed from property at his own expense all tree trunks, logs, limbs and tops and other debris," and "Residue, regardless of size, from commercial tree cutting activities will not be removed by Macon-Bibb County." Put debris haul-off in the contract.
Storms suspend the public-land rules. Section 17-39: "In case of official emergencies, such as windstorms, ice storms, or other disasters, the requirements of this division shall be waived so that the requirements of this article would in no way hinder private or public work to restore order."
A dangerous tree on private property is a public nuisance and the forester may come onto your land. Section 17-37(b): "The forester shall have the authority to enter onto private property whereon there is located a tree or portions thereof, that is reasonably suspected to pose an imminent danger or a public nuisance."
Macon-Bibb does not license tree services. A full-text search of both codes returns no tree surgeon or arborist licensing provision. What applies is the general occupation tax under section 26-201, which requires a business registration certificate displayed at the place of business, or shown to the Tax Commissioner on request where the business has no permanent Macon-Bibb location.
Despite the Cherry Blossom Capital branding, there is no ordinance singling out Yoshino cherries for protection. A full-text search of both codes for "cherry blossom" and "Yoshino" turns up only the Cherry Blossom Festival as a pension employer and a hotel-motel tax recipient.
Historic zoning districts contain no tree provisions of their own. The tree control in historic areas comes through the Design Review chapter, which sweeps those districts in by definition.
There are two tree boards. The Tree Commission under section 17-33 has 14 members, hears appeals from the forester, and includes a historic district representative and two trained professionals. A separate Beautification Tree Committee appointed by the Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful Board administers the street and park tree plan.
On public land, replacement is measured in caliper inches: "The aggregate or combined caliper inches of replacement trees shall equal the total diameter inches (dbh) of the tree(s) removed."

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 single biggest ambiguity is CLDR Section 31.03 itself. It opens with a sweeping prohibition — "No person shall cut or otherwise destroy trees in Macon-Bibb County" — which on its face reaches every tree on every parcel, then narrows twice in the same paragraph, by the soil erosion exemptions and by defining the regulated act as mass removal rather than selective thinning. The narrow reading is what the rest of the chapter and Section 27.06(1)(d) support, but "mass of trees" is nowhere quantified and the text dates to 1990. This is why the call to 478-241-2554 matters.
— The permit fee. Planning and Zoning Fee Schedule Resolution R25-006 of June 2025 is an image-only scanned PDF with no text layer.
— Whether "Section III of the Macon-Bibb County Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Standards adopted... June 25, 1990," which Section 31.03 cross-references, still exists as a separate document. Chapter 21 of the Code was replaced in its entirety in 2016; section 21-3's exemptions read as the operative successor, and 31.03 anticipates that, but the cross-reference is stale on its face.
— Whether a post-consolidation Arboricultural Specifications Manual has been adopted. Section 17-34(a)(4) says "The most recent version of the ASM used by the City of Macon shall remain in effect until such time as a new ASM is adopted," so the governing manual for public tree work may still be a pre-2014 City of Macon document.
— A direct phone or email for the county Forester or Parks and Beautification. The county's own helpful phone numbers page is broken and lists only the main switchboard, 478-751-7400.
— Tree City USA status. Macon-Bibb has a Tree Commission and a tree plan requirement, which are the structural prerequisites, but current designation could not be confirmed from a primary source.