Tree Removal Service in Sandy Springs, GA: Your Trusted Local Tree Company

Tree Removal Service That Starts With the City’s Rules

Sandy Springs takes its tree canopy seriously. The city has its own arborist, a tree conservation ordinance and a canopy target for every residential lot, and many healthy trees can’t come down without a permit. If you have a large oak leaning toward the house or a pine dropping limbs on the driveway, you need a tree removal service that understands those rules before anyone starts a saw.

Restoration Tree Care is a family-owned, insured tree company. We handle removal of hazardous and unwanted trees for homeowners, HOAs and property managers on the north side of Atlanta, and we take care of each job from the permit question to the final cleanup.

When You Need a Permit

According to the city, a Tree Removal Permit is required when a tree is removed on its own, apart from construction, and it meets any of these conditions:

• It measures 18 inches or more in diameter at breast height, which is 4.5 feet above the ground
• It’s a dogwood or redbud measuring 10 inches or more
• It stands within a stream buffer, the protected 75 foot corridor along designated streams and bodies of water

A permit is also required when a job mixes healthy trees with dead, dying, diseased or hazardous ones. If you’re removing a tree as part of a pool, patio, addition or grading project, the city asks for a Tree Conservation Plan with your construction documents instead.

Dead or Hazardous Trees

A tree that’s clearly dead or dangerous doesn’t go through the full permit process, but it still needs sign off. The city asks owners to email the City Arborist a short description of the tree, the address, the problem and photos of its condition, and to wait for approval before removal. We’ll help you put that together, and if the tree is an immediate danger to your home, we’ll talk through what can be done safely right away.

Landmark Trees and Canopy Coverage

Two more rules can affect the cost of a removal here:

• Landmark trees. Hardwoods 27 inches or larger, pines 30 inches or larger, and dogwoods or redbuds 10 inches or larger are landmark trees when they’re in fair or better condition. Removing one requires 1.5 replacement trees.
• Canopy coverage. Residential lots must keep 35% canopy coverage, counted from protected trees 18 inches and larger. If a removal drops your lot below that, or the lot is already below it, the city requires a replacement tree and a payment into its tree fund for each protected tree removed.

Replacement trees must be large canopy species at least 2.5 inches in caliper, and they have to be kept alive for three growing seasons. We’ll point out which of your trees fall into these groups during the estimate so there are no surprises.

How We Handle the Removal

Once the paperwork is settled, we schedule the work. Big trees near houses come down in sections: a climber works from the top, and the crew lowers each piece on ropes into a cleared landing area. If a tree can’t be reached that way, a crane may be the safer choice. We chip the brush, haul the wood and rake up before we leave. Stump grinding happens during the same appointment if you’d like the stump gone, which also makes room for any replacement planting.

Not every tree has to go. Our arborist services can tell you whether pruning or trimming would make a tree safe, which often avoids the permit and replacement costs altogether.

After a Storm

When a tree comes down on a roof, a car or a driveway, call us. Our emergency crews respond around the clock and start by making the scene safe. If a tree is touching a power line, stay back and call the utility first.

Serving the North Side

We’re a full tree service working across north metro Atlanta, including Roswell, Dunwoody and Atlanta. Read what homeowners say on our reviews page, or learn more about our team.

Common Questions About Protected Trees

Is my dogwood or redbud protected?

If it measures 10 inches or more in diameter, removing it on its own requires a permit. In fair or better condition, a dogwood or redbud that size is also a landmark tree, which means replacement planting.

What makes a tree a landmark tree?

Size, species and condition. Hardwoods 27 inches and larger, pines 30 inches and larger, and dogwoods or redbuds 10 inches and larger qualify when they’re in fair or better condition. Each one removed needs 1.5 replacement trees.

The tree is already dead. Do I still need approval?

Yes. You don’t need a full permit for a dead, dying, diseased or hazardous tree, but the City Arborist has to approve the removal first based on a description and photos.

Can your company apply for the permit for me?

Yes. The city accepts permit applications from property owners, certified arborists and tree removal company representatives, so we can file it with photos and a drawing that marks the trees to be removed.

What does the 35% canopy rule mean for my yard?

Residential lots need canopy coverage of at least 35%, and each protected tree of 18 inches or more counts for 1,000 square feet. If removing a tree would push your lot below that, expect to plant a replacement and pay into the city’s tree fund.

Get a Free Estimate

If a tree on your property is leaning, dying or hanging over the house, have it looked at before the next storm. Contact us today or call (470) 276-0495 to request a free estimate for tree removal service in Sandy Springs, GA.