Permits & Ordinances
Usually, yes — Peachtree City is one of the few Georgia cities that permits tree removal on an ordinary home lot. Here’s the rule as the city writes it, plus what the towns around Fayette County require — checked against each city’s own ordinance text on September 28, 2026.
Start Here
Inside Peachtree City, a permit is required to remove any canopy tree 18 in. or larger or any understory tree 8 in. or larger, measured at breast height, on any lot in the city — no construction needed to trigger it. The contractor pulls the permit, has to hold a current city occupational tax certificate to get one, and the permit is good for three months. Cross a city line and it changes: Tyrone permits trees over 6 in. but lets an owner-occupied lot take out up to five smaller trees a year, Fairburn permits anything over 6 in., and Fayetteville, Senoia, Newnan, College Park and the unincorporated county only regulate trees when land is being developed. Below is what each one publishes. Rules change (Peachtree City amended its division in June 2018, Newnan rewrote its ordinance in February 2022), so treat this as a map, not a ruling, and confirm with the city before a saw starts. We pull the permit as part of every removal we do in the city.
City of Peachtree City
Peachtree City regulates trees through Article XI of its Land Development Ordinance, “Vegetation Protection and Landscape Requirements.” Division 5, “Tree Preservation on Residential Property,” is the part that applies to a house that’s already built. Section 1130 is the whole story for most homeowners: removing any understory tree 8 in. DBH or greater, or any canopy tree 18 in. DBH or greater, anywhere in the city limits requires a tree removal permit. Smaller trees can come down without one — unless they sit in a designated tree-save or landscape buffer, wetland or stream buffer, watershed protection buffer, or conservation easement, and it’s the owner’s and the contractor’s job to verify those lines on the lot before cutting. Underbrush and vines outside a buffer need no permit at all.
How the permit works. Permits are obtained by whoever removes trees for a fee, on the city’s form; the Planning and Development Director reviews it and may inspect the property before removal. A permit expires three months after it’s issued. The contractor has to hold a current occupational tax certificate and meet the city’s safety and insurance standards (Section 1131): trained personnel, workers’ compensation, liability and completed-operations coverage, GDOT/MUTCD traffic control if a street or cart path is blocked, all logs, brush and debris removed at the end of each work day, nothing buried on site, and no burning without a fire department burn permit. The property owner is responsible for getting all cut logs, brush, debris, or fallen trees off the premises within 30 days of the cut or the fall.
Specimen trees. The city defines a specimen tree (Section 1102) as any hardwood 20 in. DBH or larger (sweetgum 24 in.), any softwood such as a pine 24 in. or larger, and any understory tree 8 in. or larger other than a Bradford pear. Removing one needs a tree removal permit under Section 1104 with a list of the trees, photo documentation of each, general photos of the property, and a certification that they’re on your land — the city can require a survey when a tree is within five feet of the property line, an arborist’s appraisal, or written HOA authorization. No permit is needed when a specimen tree has sustained irreparable damage and is an immediate hazard to life or property (Section 1106).
Buffers and the greenbelt. Clearing, thinning, or removing any tree or vegetation inside a natural buffer, undisturbed buffer, tree-save or landscape buffer, or other protected area on a lot is prohibited without written approval and permits from Planning and Development; inside a city-owned greenbelt it’s prohibited outright, with a citation and a fine of not less than $500 per tree plus replacement of every caliper inch removed (Section 1133).
If you skip the permit. Removing a permit-size tree without one exposes both the owner and the contractor to citations and additional penalties, each day and each tree as a separate offense (Section 1130). For a protected or specimen tree the ordinance values the loss at $100 per caliper inch of the remaining stump, which the city can require to be reinvested on the site as replacement plantings, and a contractor found guilty three times is barred from permits for at least 12 months (Section 1107).
Two things every platted lot has to do regardless. Keep at least two trees of 2 in. or more on the lot, in addition to any specimen trees, and get storm debris off the property within 30 days.
Official pages: peachtree-city.org (Planning and Development; Land Development Ordinance Article XI, Sections 1102–1107 and 1130–1133, Ord. 1147 of June 2018).
Verified against the ordinance text on September 28, 2026.
Brooks, Woolsey & the county's unincorporated areas
Fayette County’s tree rules live in Chapter 104, Article VI of the county development regulations, “Tree Retention, Protection and Replacement,” and they apply to activity that needs a preliminary plat, an erosion-control plan, or a site plan — in other words, development. There is no separate homeowner tree-removal permit in the county code, and dead, diseased or infested trees are exempt once the state forestry commission or an arborist confirms it and the environmental management department approves. Brooks and Woolsey publish no tree ordinance of their own that we could find, so the county rules and any HOA covenants are what apply there. Stream buffers and floodplains are off-limits everywhere.
Official pages: fayettecountyga.gov (Planning & Zoning, Environmental Management; County Code Chapter 104, Article VI). Verified against the code text on September 28, 2026.
Fayette, Coweta & South Fulton
| City | Permit for a healthy tree on a single-family lot? | What counts as protected | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyrone (Fayette) | Yes, over 6 in. — except an owner-occupied, platted single-family lot may remove up to 5 non-specimen trees per acre under 24 in. per calendar year without one. | Specimen trees 10 in. and up are removable only with an approved tree protection plan on development sites. | Dead, diseased or structurally unsound trees are exempt when the extension service, state forestry commission, an arborist, a forester, or the town manager confirms it. A specimen tree removed without approval must be replaced at twice its value. Article dated May 2002. |
| Fayetteville (Fayette) | Unverified. | — | The city’s code search returned no tree-removal provisions on the verification date — confirm with Fayetteville Planning and Zoning before removing a large tree. |
| Senoia (Coweta) | No, for an existing home. | Protected and specimen trees on development sites. | The city’s tree preservation article applies to land disturbance permits, building construction and timber harvest; it says outright it doesn’t regulate individual properties that need none of those. A protected or specimen tree that is irreparably damaged and hazardous is exempt. Ordinance dated July 2002. |
| Newnan (Coweta) | No, for an existing home. | Trees on sites with a tree management or protection plan. | The city’s Tree Conservation and Landscape Ordinance applies to land disturbance activities and to annexation, rezoning and subdivision plats, reviewed by the city landscape architect. Rewritten February 2022. |
| Fairburn (South Fulton) | Yes — for any tree larger than 6 in. DBH, with or without construction. | Specimen: deciduous canopy trees 30 in.; evergreen canopy trees 24 in.; understory trees 10 in.; documented historic trees. | Written application to the city administrator; homeowners on a developed lot don’t have to submit a tree protection plan. Dead, diseased or infested trees are exempt when the county extension service or state forestry commission confirms it. Topping a tree is unlawful. Ordinance amended December 2012. |
| College Park (South Fulton) | No, for a built home on a subdivision lot. | Protected (development sites): any tree 8 in. DBH and up; dogwood, redbud and magnolia 4 in. and up. | The tree preservation article applies to land disturbance and erosion permits and exempts a subdivision lot where the house is already built. Dead or diseased trees exempt with an arborist’s determination. Fines up to $1,000 per tree, $750 minimum for an unauthorized protected tree. |
| Union City (South Fulton) | No private-lot permit found in the city code. | — | Confirm with Union City Community Development before clearing. |
| Coweta County (unincorporated, incl. Sharpsburg) | No, for an individual single-family lot. | Development sites only. | The county tree preservation ordinance applies to land disturbance permits and lists an individual single-family lot outside a platted subdivision, and a single-family building permit, as exempt; zoning and stream buffers still apply. Sharpsburg publishes no tree ordinance of its own. |
When in doubt, the city’s planning or community development office is the answer — and the estimate visit is where we ask.
Our Part
Wrap a tape around the trunk at 4½ feet above the ground and divide the circumference by 3.14. A trunk that’s 57 inches around is 18 in. DBH — the canopy-tree permit line in Peachtree City. For an understory tree like a dogwood or redbud the line is 8 in., about 25 inches around.
In Peachtree City, almost always — the city itself can ask for written HOA authorization on a specimen-tree permit, and most of the villages have architectural covenants that cover trees. HOA rules are separate from the ordinance and can be stricter. Check both; we’ll help.
No. A tree that’s already down or irreparably damaged and threatening a structure is the hazard exemption in Peachtree City and in every city listed here. Get it off the house, photograph everything, and remember the city wants the debris off the property within 30 days.
We check the current rules for your address, and pull the permit, as part of a free on-site estimate.
Enter your city or ZIP code to see if we serve your neighborhood.