Acworth

As part of the land disturbance permit process on any non-exempt parcel of land, a tree protection and landscaping plan must be submitted along with all other permit drawings. Any activity that could result in soil erosion from water or wind and the movement of sediments into state waters or onto lands within the state, including but not limited to clearing, dredging, grading, excavating, transporting, and filling of land (excluding agricultural practices), is considered land disturbing activity. These standards aim to provide the necessary information to facilitate development project design, plan review, and enforcement processes in order to administer the provisions of the ordinance effectively.

For all zoning districts (as identified and defined in the ordinance), a minimum of 50% of existing trees, excluding acreage contained within any street right-of-way, setback, stream, or wetland buffers, must be retained after development. Individual trees’ counts will be used to determine the number of existing trees to be retained. However, a calculated percentage of tree canopy coverage based on average trees per acre may be used instead upon the approval of the Zoning Administrator. All cleared or disturbed areas must be planted with trees of suitable species and to densities specified in the zoning ordinance.

A landscaping plan must be reviewed and approved by the Zoning Administrator before any land disturbance permit is issued for projects/lots. Tree protection measures must be installed before land disturbance, and no land disturbance permit will be issued for full site development until compliance with the regulations’ provisions is determined. Prior to issuing any clearing permits, the Zoning Administrator or other City designee will visit the development site for each development.

The destruction of more than 20% of the trees on any parcel of land within any two-year period is considered as timbering and is regulated as such unless site development plans are submitted and approved per all applicable City regulations. When site development plans are not submitted, a timbering permit must be obtained before any tree cutting, clearing, or clearing and grubbing. This standard applies to all properties that are not exclusively zoned for single-family use and to all properties over two acres in size irrelevant of zoning.

If any tree on any non-exempt parcel of land is deemed to be in a hazardous or dangerous condition, the Zoning Administrator may authorize its removal in order to protect public health, safety, or welfare. In the case of a specimen tree included in an approved tree preservation plan, the Zoning Administrator may consult with the City’s designated professional arborist.

The Site Density Factor (SDF) is the minimum tree density required to be maintained on a developed site based on the total site area. This density requirement must be achieved whether or not a site had trees prior to development. The required unit density may be achieved by counting existing trees to be preserved, planting new trees, or a combination of the two. Table A provides the SDF based on the total site area.