A long-awaited overhaul of Atlanta’s tree protection ordinance moved a step closer to becoming law this week, as a key city council committee approved a scaled-down version of the legislation on June 10 — but not without controversy.
The Community Development and Human Services Committee voted 4–1 to advance the measure to the full Atlanta City Council, despite objections from some members and tree advocates who say the revised ordinance lacks essential protections for Atlanta’s famed urban canopy.
According to a report from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Council member Andrea Boone cast the sole vote against the measure, while Council member Michael Julian Bond abstained, expressing concern over the lack of public input.
“To my knowledge, I don’t think anyone has seen it prior to this very moment,” Bond said, urging a delay and proposing a work session to review the newly introduced draft.
The push for a delay was rejected by the committee majority.
“I think what we’re seeing before us today is something that has been seen before,” said Councilmember Jason Winston, who chairs the committee. “What I’m hearing from my constituents is they’re tired of us kicking the can down the road.”
The legislation includes an increase in the cost of removing trees — known as recompense — to $140 per diameter inch of the tree trunk, up from $130. Acre-based fee caps would also increase to $12,500 to $35,000, depending on zoning.
Fines for illegal tree removals could reach up to $200,000 per acre if it’s unclear how many trees were cut. Individual violations would draw $500 to $1,000 penalties, plus restoration costs.
The legislation also includes a discount on recompense fees for developers of affordable housing projects, and $400,000 from the city’s Tree Trust Fund would help low-income seniors manage hazardous trees.
Notably absent from the new draft are several key provisions once central to the ordinance. Previous versions included preservation standards that would have required developers to protect a percentage of tree cover on their lots — a move builders strongly opposed.
“This draft really achieves a balanced approach and really does what’s needed to allow for economic development to continue in the city and preserve the tree canopy that we have,” said Michael Paris, CEO of the Council for Quality Growth.
Tree advocates, however, see it differently.
“This is a gross failure of process unbecoming to a city of Atlanta’s stature,” said Kathryn Kolb, a conservationist who has worked on the ordinance for years. “For many properties, the recompense will effectively be less than what developers are paying today. It’s a regressive joke.”
The meeting also exposed tensions between council members and the Department of City Planning. Bond criticized the department’s decision to press ahead with a “stripped” ordinance. Planning Commissioner Jahnee Prince defended the approach, saying the current version includes “the basic things that we need for tree protection in our city right now,” and that additional provisions will be tested alongside upcoming zoning reforms.
Bond remained unconvinced. “It doesn’t protect trees,” he said. He plans to introduce legislation to monitor the department’s promised pilot programs.
Atlanta’s tree canopy, once covering nearly half the city, dropped from 48% in 2008 to 46.5% in 2018, with new assessments expected to show further decline — possibly below 45%. The city’s stated goal is 50% canopy coverage.
The full city council could vote on the ordinance as early as its Monday, June 16 meeting.