An orange sign on the property announces the potential for tree removal or tree damage on that site. If the initial evaluation of a building site plan indicates the intent to remove, destroy or injure trees on the subject or adjacent properties a “Notice of Plan Submittal” posting is made by placing an orange sign on the property announcing the potential for tree removal. This sign must remain in place for a minimum of 10 calendar days. The affected trees do not need to be marked at this stage.
Note, orange signs only appear when trees on private property may be taken down. Trees being removed on public property do not go through an orange sign posting process; they have a yellow sign posting process only.
When you see an orange sign, you should contact the City Arborist Office at 404-330-6235 and request to see the building site plan for the property. The site plan should include information about which trees will be impacted. You will have to go downtown to the City Arborist Office (at 55 Trinity Avenue, Atlanta, GA, 30303) to see the plan; at this time site plans are not provided online or by fax or mail. However, you can request that the City Arborist make a copy of the plan at your expense.
If you have any concerns about the trees being impacted on the site plan, or you do not think the site plan accurately reflects the impacted trees on that or adjacent properties, tell the City Arborist site plan reviewer immediately. (No appeal of the request to impact trees can be made at this time because no approval has yet been given.)
You may also choose to contact the owner of the property directly to discuss your concerns. Some owners will be open to discussing alternatives to help protect the trees on the property, but some will not. The owner is under no obligation to protect the trees beyond what is required by the Tree Protection Ordinance, so you should realize that your requests that go above and beyond the requirements of the ordinance may not be met.