Tree Removal in Decatur, GA & DeKalb County

Decatur generally will not permit removal of a healthy tree at all

Under the city's Tree Canopy Conservation Ordinance, amended effective March 21, 2022, removal permits are issued for trees that are untreatably diseased or infested, or that carry a moderate-or-higher risk rating — and the application must include a certified arborist's assessment. Applicants also hold a pre-application conference with the city arborist, and removing fair-condition trees triggers canopy-loss fees. Note Decatur city limits: most 'Decatur' addresses are actually unincorporated DeKalb, where the county's more permissive 5-tree rule applies instead.

Unincorporated DeKalb allows removing up to 5 healthy trees per year before a Notice of Tree Removal is required

The county's homeowner guide (updated 2026) requires a Notice of Tree Removal for taking more than five trees over 5 inches DBH in a calendar year, or any specimen tree — overstory trees of 30 inches DBH or more, understory trees of 10 inches or more. Review takes up to 5 working days and approved removals must happen within 60 days. Dead, diseased or hazardous trees are exempt, but the hazard determination must come from a certified tree professional such as an ISA Certified Arborist.

Decatur requires 60% tree canopy on single-family lots, with no-net-loss replanting when removals drop a lot below it

The ordinance sets minimum canopy coverage of 60% for single-family residential lots and 45% for commercial and high-density properties. A city canopy assessment measured Decatur at 57% against a citywide goal of 65%. Per the city's permitting guide, individual trees over 6 inches DBH need a permit unless the species is a Category 1 invasive.

Hurricane Helene knocked out power to more than 48,000 DeKalb customers in a single morning

On September 27, 2024, the county logged dozens of reports of fallen trees and downed lines, with closures on Buford Highway and North Druid Hills Road and flooding on Pleasantdale Road in Tucker and Castlegate Terrace near Decatur. Georgia Power later called Helene the most destructive hurricane in its history, with more than 1,500 trees to remove from power lines and roughly 425 miles of wire to restring statewide.

Georgia is 64% forest, 24,172,679 acres, second in US timberland

Georgia Forestry Commission FIA data records 24,172,679 acres of forest, about 64% of the state, ranking Georgia second in US timberland and first in privately owned forestland, with 45% of forest area in softwood (pine).

In the ordinance's first year Decatur issued 258 tree permits covering 435 removals — and required 376 replacement trees

City figures reported for the first year after the April 2022 online-permitting launch: $46,700 collected in permit and review fees, plus $12,655 in tree-bank canopy-loss fees. Replacement planting is not optional in Decatur; it is how the city enforces no net loss.