Tree Planting and Removal Rules in Gallatin, Tennessee

For most Gallatin homeowners, the key question is where the tree is located and whether the work is part of development, affects drainage, or uses public right-of-way. Gallatin’s current zoning rules require grading permits for qualifying land-clearing or grading, while routine vegetation maintenance and removal of dead or diseased trees are listed as exemptions. Development projects may also have landscaping, tree-preservation and parking-area requirements. Call Planning at 615-451-5796 or Engineering at 615-451-5961 before removing a tree in a public right-of-way, easement, drainage conveyance or construction area.

If you are planning to remove a tree, plant a street tree or clear land for construction in Gallatin, the rules depend on the tree’s location and the reason for the work. A routine backyard tree project is different from clearing a development site, working in a drainage channel or planting in a public right-of-way.

The safest first step is to identify whether the tree is on private property, an easement, a drainage conveyance, a public right-of-way or a construction site. Then contact the City of Gallatin Planning Department or Engineering Department before work begins if the situation is unclear.

Quick answer: which Gallatin rules may apply?

Situation — What to check first — Gallatin starting point

Removing or pruning a tree in an ordinary private yard — Whether the work affects drainage, utilities, a right-of-way, a historic property or development activity — Planning Department, 615-451-5796

Clearing or grading a development site — Whether a grading or land-disturbance permit is required — Engineering Department, 615-451-5961

Removing a tree from a drainage channel or conveyance — Property-owner maintenance duties and City Engineering policies — Engineering Department, 615-451-5965

Planting in a street right-of-way — Public-property, right-of-way and utility restrictions — Planning or Engineering before planting

Disposing of limbs and logs after removal — City brush-pickup eligibility and placement rules — Environmental Services, 615-452-2147

When tree removal may require city review

Private residential yard work

Gallatin’s current zoning materials do not establish a single, citywide rule saying that every homeowner must obtain a tree-removal permit for one privately owned yard tree. However, other regulations can apply depending on the project.

The City’s current grading standards state that a grading permit is required before land-clearing or grading activities involving more than one acre, or before changing a property’s elevation, subject to listed exemptions. The exemptions include construction of a one-family detached dwelling or an addition, accessory buildings, routine vegetation maintenance, removal of dead or diseased limbs or trees needed to maintain cultivated plants or control noxious weeds, and agricultural land-management activities.

That means a homeowner should not assume that every tree-removal job is automatically exempt. A project involving extensive clearing, grading, drainage changes, a new structure or a regulated site may need review even if the immediate task is described as “removing trees.”

Construction, grading and land clearing

Gallatin defines clearing broadly. It includes removing trees, shrubs or topsoil, as well as actions that cause irreversible damage to roots or trunks. Filling, excavation, grading or trenching in a tree’s root area may also qualify as clearing when it could cause irreversible damage.

The City says a land-disturbance permit is generally required for sites disturbing one acre or more, and for smaller sites that are part of a larger common plan that will disturb at least one acre over the life of the project. The City also states that all land disturbers must comply with the City Code regardless of the size of the disturbance.

For a development project, the owner or contractor may need more than a permit application. Gallatin lists planning approval, approved site-development and drainage plans, erosion and sediment-control information, stormwater documents and applicable permits from local, state and federal agencies among the information needed for land-disturbance permitting.

The current zoning ordinance also includes landscaping and tree-preservation standards for required bufferyards and parking areas. For example, some commercial zoning provisions require trees by lot frontage, permanent landscaped areas and parking-lot planting areas.

Drainage channels, easements and public rights-of-way

A tree located in or beside a drainage ditch, stormwater conveyance or public right-of-way needs extra caution. Gallatin says drainage ditches may not be obstructed without City Engineer approval, and the City generally places responsibility for vegetation maintenance and some private-property drainage concerns on the property owner.

The City’s stormwater policies also address tree and debris removal from conveyance systems. Gallatin crews or contractors may access property for that work when a right of entry is used, but property owners should not treat a drainage easement as ordinary yard space.

Gallatin’s streets department explains that City Public Works and Engineering oversee city streets, sidewalks, drainage infrastructure and rights-of-way, while the Tennessee Department of Transportation maintains numbered state highways.

Before cutting or planting a tree near a sidewalk, curb, roadway, ditch, utility easement or drainage structure, confirm who controls the area. A tree may be physically near your home while being located on land subject to a public easement or right-of-way.

Tree planting rules and practical placement checks

Street trees and public property

Planting a tree in a public right-of-way is not the same as planting one in a private front yard. In 2025, the Gallatin City Council approved an agreement allowing street trees in the City-maintained right-of-way of Kennesaw Boulevard and Oakfield Boulevard in The Paddock at Kennesaw Farms, subject to an indemnity agreement and compliance with city ordinances, rules and regulations.

That example indicates that street-tree planting may require project-specific approval rather than an informal homeowner installation. Contact Planning or Engineering before placing a tree between the sidewalk and street, beside a curb, or on land that may be City-owned.

Utility clearance and Tennessee811

Call Tennessee811 before digging for a tree. Tennessee guidance says landowners must contact Tennessee811 before digging so underground utilities can be marked. The Tennessee Urban Riparian Buffer Handbook advises calling at least three business days before digging and notes that tickets are generally valid for 15 days.

Utility clearance should also be considered above ground. TVA advises property owners to contact its Transmission Right-of-Way team before planting in a transmission-line easement. TVA says compatible vegetation depends on the location and that the wrong tree in the wrong place can still create a problem, even if the species appears on a compatible list.

For a residential planting plan, choose a mature size that will not interfere with power lines, poles, sidewalks, signs, streetlights, buildings, driveways or sight lines. If the planting area is within a TVA transmission easement or another utility easement, obtain the easement holder’s guidance before buying the tree.

Trees required for development landscaping

Gallatin’s current zoning standards are most detailed for new development, commercial sites, parking areas and bufferyards. The ordinance defines large, medium and small trees by expected mature height and includes examples such as oaks, maples, hickory, dogwood, redbud, holly and crape myrtle.

Parking-area landscaping standards require interior planting areas in qualifying parking facilities. The current ordinance calls for at least 6% of the gross parking-area space to be landscaped, with canopy trees spaced no more than 80 feet apart or one canopy tree for every eight interior parking spaces. It also requires planting areas of at least 200 square feet for each new canopy tree and 100 square feet for each new ornamental tree.

These are development standards, not a universal requirement that every Gallatin homeowner plant a specific number of trees. Contractors and developers should use the zoning district, approved site plan and current Planning Department direction to determine which standards apply.

Gallatin brush and limb pickup after removal

For residents who receive Gallatin trash service, the City provides brush pickup through Environmental Services. The City says brush trucks operate on continuous routes, generally returning every four to six weeks depending on workload and wait times.

To prepare limbs and logs for pickup:

• Keep limbs and logs no longer than 15 feet.
• Place brush within 2 feet of the curb, road or sidewalk.
• Stack limbs in the same direction.
• Keep brush off the street and sidewalk.
• Do not mix furniture, trash, treated wood or painted wood with the brush pile.
• Do not block driveways or intersections.

The City includes up to one 20-cubic-yard trailer load per pickup cycle for eligible trash customers. The current City page lists a $75 charge for each additional trailer and $150 for a 20-cubic-yard trailer pickup requested by a non-customer. Call Environmental Services at 615-452-2147 for special or non-customer service.

A homeowner and contractor checklist

Before planting or removing a tree in Gallatin:

1. Confirm the property boundary. Check whether the work area is private property, a utility easement, a drainage easement, a sidewalk area or a public right-of-way.
2. Call Tennessee811 before digging. Do this before planting, stump removal, root excavation or installing irrigation near the tree.
3. Check for overhead utilities. Contact the applicable utility or TVA if the site is near a transmission-line easement.
4. Ask Planning about zoning or historic-district issues. This is especially important for development sites, commercial property, properties in a special district or work that changes site conditions.
5. Ask Engineering about grading and drainage. Contact Engineering before clearing, changing elevations or working in a drainage conveyance.
6. Protect trees marked to remain on a construction plan. Clearing, root damage and grading can create compliance problems even when the trunk is not removed.
7. Plan disposal before the tree comes down. Follow the City’s brush-pile rules or arrange another lawful disposal method.

Who to contact before you plant or remove a tree

• Gallatin Planning Department: 615-451-5796; zoning, development review and property-specific planning questions.
• Gallatin Engineering Department: 615-451-5961 for land-disturbance permitting, or 615-451-5965 for stormwater concerns.
• Gallatin Environmental Services: 615-452-2147 for brush pickup and disposal questions.
• Tennessee811: Call 811 or submit a request through Tennessee811 before digging.
• TVA Transmission Right-of-Way team: Contact TVA before planting in a TVA transmission easement.

What may change in 2026

Gallatin is updating its zoning ordinance. The City has scheduled a public hearing for August 18, 2026, on Ordinance O2607-56, which would replace the current zoning ordinance and zoning map. Because that hearing occurs after this article’s August 15 publication date, readers planning construction or major clearing should confirm the applicable ordinance and effective date with Planning before relying on development-related tree provisions.

For a routine private-yard project, the practical rule remains simple: do not assume that a tree near a roadway, utility, drainage feature or construction area is governed only by your property line. Verify the location, call Tennessee811, and ask the City department responsible for the feature before work begins.