Does the Atlanta Tree Protection Ordinance affect my remodel?

Atlanta runs one of the most aggressive tree-protection regimes of any major US city, and any addition, ADU, pool, or new footprint on a wooded lot will engage it. Under Atlanta Code of Ordinances Chapter 158, every healthy tree with a diameter at breast height (DBH) of 6 inches or greater is regulated, regardless of whether it sits in a setback, in the buildable area, or on a boundary line shared with a neighbor. Removal requires a Tree Removal Permit, which in turn requires a certified arborist letter documenting health, species, condition, and reason for removal, plus a public notice posting on the parcel for 30 days during which adjacent neighbors may appeal to the Tree Conservation Commission.

The ordinance attaches a recompense schedule. As of the 2024 fee schedule, healthy-tree removal triggers a recompense of approximately $30 per inch DBH, payable to the Tree Trust Fund, or in-kind replacement at a 2-for-1 ratio with minimum 2-inch caliper replacement stock. Dead, diseased, or hazardous trees may be removed under a Dead/Hazardous permit at reduced or waived recompense, but the arborist letter is still required. Boundary trees, where the trunk crosses two parcels, require written consent from both owners. The Critical Root Zone (CRZ) is calculated as 1.5 feet of radius per inch of DBH; encroachment into the CRZ during construction (trenching, grading, equipment staging) requires tree-protection fencing, root pruning by a certified arborist, and post-construction monitoring.

For Atlanta GCs and homeowners, this ordinance materially shapes design. ADUs squeezed into rear yards, pools, and additions over crawl space routinely trigger CRZ impacts on multiple regulated trees, and a $30,000 recompense bill is not unusual on a wooded Druid Hills or Morningside lot. Survey the trees before the architect locks the footprint, get the arborist letter early, and budget the recompense as a hard line item rather than a contingency.