Tree Risk Assessment in Gwinnett County, GA

Tree problems in Gwinnett County, GA that call for arborist risk assessment

1. 1

   When Gwinnett homeowners need permission

   Gwinnett County's guidance for homeowners in unincorporated areas is simple: a tree on your occupied, residentially zoned lot can be removed without a permit, as long as it isn't in one of the protected situations below, and you keep at least two live trees on the lot.

2. 2

   How to tell if your tree is in a buffer or save area

   Your subdivision's recorded plat shows zoning buffers, stream buffers, open space and tree save areas. Many Gwinnett subdivisions built since the 1990s have them along their back lot lines, exactly where large trees tend to be. If the plat isn't in your closing documents, Gwinnett's planning department and the county's GIS can help. HOA covenants often add their own approval process on top.

3. 3

   Gwinnett's trees and storms

   Gwinnett's subdivisions are carved out of second-growth forest, so many backyards have tall loblolly pines, tulip poplars, oaks and sweetgums left from clearing. Thunderstorms with straight-line winds, ice storms and tropical-storm remnants bring most emergency calls. Pines left standing at the edge of a cleared lot are especially exposed, and drought-stressed pines attract bark beetles.