Demolition, construction, utilities, grading, and landscaping can trigger tree review before a tree is removed.
City of Decatur, Georgia · 2026 guide
Decatur tree conservation, in plain language.
Understand when a tree permit, condition report, or project tree plan enters the process and what to prepare before work begins.
Read the requirementsCurrent ordinance adopted March 21, 2022Last reviewed September 17, 2026
At a glance
Start with the property, the tree, and the proposed work.
A dead tree uses the City affirmation process; qualifying diseased or risk trees require supporting professional documentation.
The City provides a no-tree-impact statement for qualifying work where no tree greater than six inches is affected.
The City advises allowing up to ten business days for a typical tree permit review.
01 / First question
Is the property inside Decatur?
A Decatur postal address can fall outside the incorporated City of Decatur. Confirm the parcel is inside City limits before relying on this guide or opening a City permit record.
Best first step
Use the address lookup on the Tree Collective ordinance map, then confirm the result with the governing jurisdiction before beginning work.
Open the ordinance lookup02 / Permit paths
The condition of the tree and the reason for work shape the path.
Dead trees
Use the dead-tree affirmation path.
The City provides a specific affirmation form for a dead tree. Photograph the tree and confirm the current submission requirements before removal.
Diseased or risk trees
Condition and risk must be supported.
For an untreatably diseased or insect-infested tree, or a tree with moderate-or-greater risk and a target, the City calls for a certified arborist assessment report with the removal application.
Construction or site work
Tree review belongs in the project plan.
Properties undergoing demolition, building, landscaping, utility, land-development, or parking work may require a tree removal permit and tree conservation or planting plan.
Protected-tree impacts
Root impacts can count even when the tree stays.
Work affecting a protected tree or its critical root zone may require review, documentation, protection measures, and a City-approved plan.
03 / Project record
Build the tree information into the site plan.
Decatur directs applicants toward early coordination when proposed work may remove a tree or disturb a protected root zone. Depending on scope, a useful package can include:
01
Tree inventory with species, size, condition, and location
02
Existing and proposed site conditions
03
Limits of disturbance and critical root zones
04
Trees to retain, remove, protect, and plant
05
Canopy calculations and planting details
06
Boundary-tree information and agreements where applicable
04 / Condition + risk
Tree risk assessment should answer a decision, not just label a tree.
Where condition is the basis for removal, document the tree, target, likelihood of failure and impact, risk rating, and reasonable mitigation. Tree Collective can collect field point data and prepare a TRAQ-informed assessment when the scope calls for it; the City determines whether the submitted evidence meets its permit requirements.
05 / Conservation + replacement
Canopy conservation shapes the whole plan.
Decatur’s ordinance is organized around conserving canopy during development and avoiding net canopy loss. Removal, preservation, planting, and available site area are evaluated together.
Do not treat a removal approval as the end of the calculation. Use the City’s current administrative standards, canopy method, species list, and approved plan to determine planting, protection, bonding, or other project obligations.
06 / Professional support
Bring in the arborist before the design is fixed.
The City recommends a pre-application meeting with the City Arborist for permit work involving tree removal or protected-root-zone disturbance. A consulting arborist can organize field data, risk findings, canopy calculations, and plan coordination before the project team loses room to adjust.
Official applications + sources
Go directly to Decatur.
Official source
Tree Canopy Conservation
City overview, application routes, forms, standards, and current ordinance materials.
Open source+Official sourceCurrent ordinance
Official Tree Canopy Conservation Ordinance text hosted by the City.
Open source+Official sourcePermit requirements
City permit guidance and project submission information.
Open source+Official sourceTree-removal FAQ
City answers for dead, diseased, risk, and project-related tree removals.
Open source+Source review
Reviewed September 17, 2026.
Reviewed against the City of Decatur Tree Canopy Conservation page, current ordinance PDF, permit guidance, application materials, and City tree-removal FAQ. Confirm the latest forms and administrative standards before submitting.
This is practical educational information, not a permit decision or legal advice. Requirements can change and may depend on site conditions, project scope, administrative standards, and staff findings.
Tree Collective consulting
Bring the tree question into focus.
Tree Collective can help interpret ordinance requirements, inventory trees, assess condition and risk, review construction impacts, prepare tree protection plans and arboricultural prescriptions, and organize permit documentation for the project team.
Tree Collective does not issue permits, control municipal decisions, or act on behalf of the City.