At R & R Tree Service, we’re proud to be the go-to tree care experts for homeowners and businesses throughout Decatur, GA. Our experienced team is here to help you maintain a safe, beautiful property with services that include tree removal, trimming, stump grinding, and emergency storm response, all at a fair price.
From the charming historic homes to newer developments, we understand how to care for the unique trees and landscapes that make Decatur special
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Inside the City of Decatur, yes — and you need a reason the city recognises, not just a preference. Decatur is the strictest jurisdiction we work in. Since its Tree Canopy Conservation Ordinance took effect on 21 March 2022, residents can no longer take down three healthy trees every eighteen months the way they once could. A removal permit is issued to take out a tree that is untreatably diseased or infested, or one a certified arborist has rated moderate or higher risk where there is a target — a person or property that would actually be hurt or damaged if it failed.
That means the arborist's assessment report is not a formality, it is the application. Dead trees run on a separate, lighter track: a completed dead tree affirmation statement plus photographs, emailed to the city's tree permits address. And be careful with the postmark — a great many addresses that read 'Decatur, GA' sit in unincorporated DeKalb County rather than inside the city, where an entirely different regime applies: notify the County Arborist above five trees or for a specimen tree, with up to five healthy non-specimen trees a calendar year permitted on a single-family lot.
Rules change. Confirm anything load-bearing with the local office before you cut — we do that check as part of every quote.
Most towns ask how big the tree is. Decatur asks what happens if it fails. The test pairs a certified arborist's risk rating of moderate or above with the presence of a target — someone or something in the fall zone. A hollow poplar over a garden shed and the same poplar over a child's bedroom are the same tree and a different application. It is a more thoughtful standard than a diameter threshold, and it needs better evidence.
The city requires a pre-application meeting with its arborist before you file for any site development, building, plumbing, pool or utility permit that would remove trees or disturb the critical root zone of a protected tree. Homeowners regularly discover this after the pool is designed. Getting the arborist in the conversation first is cheaper than redrawing a footprint, and the critical root zone extends far wider than most people assume — well beyond the drip line for a mature stem.
Decatur manages its urban forest as coverage rather than as a tree count, with site canopy expectations set for single-family homes and different, lower ones for commercial, high-density residential and institutional properties. That reframes a removal: the question is not only whether this tree can go, but what the property's canopy looks like afterwards and what has to be planted to bring it back. Replacement is part of the plan, not an afterthought.
Decatur's neighbourhoods are historic, densely built and heavily treed, with mature overstory sitting directly over rooflines, driveways and power drops on narrow lots. There is often nowhere to drop anything. That combination is exactly why we bought a crane rather than hiring one: sections come out vertically over the house instead of being felled across a garden that has no room for them.
The city publishes a boundary tree agreement form, which tells you how often a Decatur tree straddles a property line. A stem sitting on the line is not unilaterally yours to remove, and the neighbourly version of that conversation goes far better before an arborist report exists than after a crew arrives. We will flag a boundary stem at the quote stage rather than let it become a dispute on the day.
Alongside the ordinary permit forms the city runs a landmark tree application, a tree setback adjustment and a maintenance bond. Those exist because Decatur actively tries to keep individual outstanding stems standing rather than treating every tree as interchangeable. If a tree on your lot is genuinely exceptional, it may carry more protection than its neighbours — and conversely, a setback adjustment can be the route to keeping a tree that a rigid building line would otherwise doom.
Not every stem on a Decatur lot is protected. Species listed as Category 1 invasives by the Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council are treated differently from the native canopy the ordinance exists to conserve, and the city publishes its own species list and legend so the distinction is checkable rather than argued. Mimosa, tree of heaven and privet growing into a hedge line are a different conversation from a mature willow oak.
City arborists work permits in the order received and it can take up to ten business days, longer if the submission is short of what the code needs. In practice, incomplete applications are the delay — missing tree photographs, no arborist assessment report, no canopy information. For a tree that is genuinely threatening something, that lead time is the argument for having it looked at now rather than after the next storm warning.
R & R Tree Service offers licensed, bonded, and insured tree removal, trimming, stump grinding, mulching, and more throughout Decatur, GA.
Regular trimming keeps your trees healthy, improves their appearance, and reduces the risk of falling limbs, especially during storm season. Our certified team members use proper techniques to promote long-term tree health.
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Most RequestedWe safely remove hazardous, dead, or unwanted trees of all sizes, using the right equipment and techniques to prevent damage to your property. From single trees to full lot clearing.
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24/7 AvailableStorm damage? Fallen trees? We're available for fast, reliable emergency response to protect your property and restore safety. Our crew responds 24/7 across Decatur and surrounding areas.
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After a tree is removed, we can grind down the stump to restore your yard and prevent regrowth or pest infestations. We remove all debris for a clean, finished result.
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SpecialtyFor large or hard-to-reach trees, our specialized crane equipment provides the safest solution, protecting your property, fencing, and landscaping during removal.
Get a Quote →We serve residential and commercial clients throughout Decatur, including these neighborhoods and surrounding areas.
We understand the unique tree care needs in Decatur's neighborhoods and take pride in protecting your home or business while enhancing the natural beauty of your landscape.
From first call to final cleanup, we make professional tree care easy for Decatur homeowners.
Call or message us. We visit your Decatur property, assess the situation, and answer all your questions, with no obligation.
You receive a clear, itemized quote with transparent pricing. We explain exactly what work will be done and why, with no surprises.
Our own certified crew arrives on time with the right equipment. We protect your property and complete the work safely and efficiently.
We remove all debris, branches, and wood. Your Decatur yard is left immaculate. We follow up to confirm your satisfaction.
"For the past eight years, R and R Tree Service has meticulously tended to our landscape needs. From pine tree removal to diagnosing damaged or diseased trees, I fully and completely trust this honest and hard working crew. They estimate fairly and give competitive prices. It's reassuring to know they will 'take care of business'."
"We have used R and R Tree Service since we moved to the Decatur area over 16 years ago. They are professional, dependable, and do an excellent job. Their crane service is a definite advantage. There is never any damage to surrounding trees."
"Within 24-hours of being contacted, Randy and his team gave me a quote and removed two mature trees uprooted during Hurricane Helene. Arrived at the crack of dawn and finished before lunch. True professionals."
Full details on the licensed, insured tree care R & R provides in Decatur. Tap any service to learn more.
Not simply because you would rather it was gone. Under the Tree Canopy Conservation Ordinance, in force since 21 March 2022, the old allowance to take down three healthy trees every eighteen months no longer exists. A permit is granted where a tree is untreatably diseased or infested, or where a certified arborist rates it moderate or higher risk and there is a target present that would be injured or damaged by its failure.
An assessment report from a certified arborist is the core of it. Permits are filed online through the Community Core system, and the city asks for tree photographs, the arborist's assessment, any new tree maintenance agreements and the tree canopy information for the property. Fees follow the city's schedule and depend on the permit type.
No, and this is the one part of Decatur that is straightforward. For a dead tree, you complete the city dead tree affirmation statement and email it with photographs of the tree to the city tree permits address. That route is deliberately lighter than the full risk-assessment application for a living tree.
Before you file. Decatur requires a pre-application meeting with the city arborist ahead of any site development, building, plumbing, pool or utility permit that proposes removing trees or disturbing the critical root zone of a protected tree. Bring the arborist in while the design still has room to move.
Enormously. Plenty of Decatur postal addresses sit in unincorporated DeKalb County, which runs an entirely different system: a Notice of Tree Removal to the County Arborist for more than five trees or for a specimen tree, with up to five healthy non-specimen trees a calendar year allowed on a single-family lot, and no notice needed at all below five inches DBH. DeKalb explicitly puts the burden of knowing your jurisdiction on the property owner.
Up to ten business days, worked in the order received, and longer if the application is missing what the code requires. The usual causes of delay are absent photographs or a missing arborist assessment report, both of which are avoidable.
It becomes a shared decision. The city publishes a boundary tree agreement precisely because this comes up often in Decatur, where lots are narrow and mature trees are old enough to predate the fences. Settle it with the neighbour first — an agreed removal is quick, a contested one is not.
A qualified arborist inspects the stem, the root collar and the union points, judges the likelihood of failure and the likelihood of hitting something, and combines those into a rating. Decatur wants moderate or above before it will licence the removal of a living tree. What swings it is usually structural — decay pockets, included bark where two leaders meet, fungal fruiting bodies at the buttress, a recent lean with soil cracked on the opposite side.
It exists so that "this tree is risky" becomes a consistent, comparable judgement instead of an opinion. A rating combines how likely the tree is to fail with how likely a failure is to strike something and how bad that would be — which is why an identical tree can rate differently in two gardens. It also means the assessing arborist has to commit their reasoning to paper, and that record is what the permit decision rests on.
That is the standard job here. Mature trees over historic houses with no drop zone means controlled sectional dismantling, rigged down or lifted out by crane. We own our crane, so the technical option is always available rather than dependent on a hire slot. R & R is licensed, insured, TCIA-member and family-run since 1987, and we do not subcontract. Emergency cover is 24/7 on (678) 482-9994.
Sources: City of Decatur — Tree Canopy Conservation Ordinance · DeKalb County — Homeowner Guide for Tree Removal (2025)
When you need trusted tree service in Decatur, GA, turn to the professionals at R & R Tree Service. We deliver quality work, excellent customer service, and affordable rates every time.
Licensed · Insured · Serving Decatur Since 1987
