Tree work rules in Georgia

Georgia doesn't license arborists or tree care businesses. The Georgia Forestry Commission says the state doesn't license or certify arborists and points to ISA certification instead.¹

Georgia law standardizes only local notice rules for timber harvests, and cities still issue their own tree removal permits. Atlanta, for example, requires a permit for hardwoods 6 inches and up.^2-3

If a tree is touching the power line to your house, keep clear and call your utility first. Clearing the line is the utility's job, and a tree company can't start until it's done.

Georgia law requires keeping 10 feet from high voltage lines. Before working closer, notify Georgia 811 at least 72 hours ahead without counting weekends or holidays, and wait for the line owner to safeguard the line.^4-5

Georgia's one-call law counts stump removal as excavation, though tree cutting in road maintenance doesn't count. Excavating there means mechanized digging.⁶

In Georgia, applying any pesticide to someone else's property for a fee needs a Commercial Applicator License and a Pesticide Contractor License. Tree surgeons are named in the rule.^7-8