Tree Service in Sandy Springs, GA

What the permit involves

Measure the tree, count what stays, and send the paperwork before the work. Here is how the city's process works for a home lot:

• Measure at 4.5 feet. Diameter at breast height (DBH) is measured 4.5 feet above the ground, from the high side on a slope. Measure around the trunk and divide by 3.14 to get the diameter.
• Know which trees are protected. Trees 18 inches DBH or larger are Protected Trees, and each one counts as 1,000 square feet toward the lot's canopy. Landmark Trees are hardwoods 27 inches or larger, pines 30 inches or larger, and dogwoods or redbuds 10 inches or larger, in fair or better condition.
• Keep 35 percent canopy. If a removal drops a home lot below 35 percent canopy, or the lot is already below it, the city charges $1,200 into its Tree Fund for each Protected Tree removed and requires one replacement tree for each. Removing a Landmark Tree requires 1.5 replacement trees for every Landmark Tree removed. Replacement trees must be large canopy species at least 2.5 inches in caliper, kept alive for three full growing seasons.
• Document a bad tree. For a hazardous or declining tree 18 inches or larger, the application asks for photos or a report from an ISA Certified Arborist. The city defines a hazardous tree as one at risk of failure because it is dead or structurally defective.
• Apply online. Applications go through the city's online permitting portal, and the form asks for the tree company's business license.

Questions go to the City Arborist at arborist@sandyspringsga.gov, or call 770-730-5600 and ask for the City Arborist.

Dead, dying, or hazardous trees

A dead, dying, diseased, or hazardous tree can come down without a permit, but only after the city has the documentation. Email the City Arborist at arborist@sandyspringsga.gov with a description of the tree, the property address, what is wrong with it, and photos showing its condition, then wait for the go-ahead. A pine with fading needles is a common case: the Georgia Forestry Commission says pines infested with southern pine or Ips beetles cannot be saved with spray and should come down as soon as the needles start to fade, so send the photos the day you notice it.

Steep river lots near the Chattahoochee

Sandy Springs borders the Chattahoochee, and many lots near the river are steep and wooded. The river corridor carries its own rules under the Metropolitan River Protection Act: a 2,000-foot corridor on each bank, a 50-foot undisturbed vegetative buffer along the river, and a 150-foot setback for hard surfaces, with Atlanta Regional Commission review and a city certificate for land-disturbing work. If your lot is near the water or a creek, assume the tree needs a permit and ask the City Arborist first.

On the slope itself, ask how the crew will rig the tree and move wood without tearing up the hillside. Hard access can add 25 to 50 percent to a removal, according to HomeAdvisor, and the wood cannot be burned: Fulton County is on Georgia EPD's lists that ban burning land-clearing and storm debris all year. Costs and the hiring checklist are on our tree removal in Marietta page.

Common Sandy Springs questions