Know where your property line actually is
Many lake lots in Cherokee County do not run to the water. Around Allatoona Lake, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages public land along the shoreline, and the Corps' policy, according to its Allatoona Lake shoreline management pages, is to manage that land and water in a way that promotes safe and healthful public use while conserving natural resources. Private uses on Corps land, from docks to underbrushing, need Corps permits.
The Corps advises owners to start with the Shoreline Allocation Map to see whether their property borders Corps land and how that shoreline is zoned. Its Shoreline Management Plan includes exhibits such as the zoning allocation map and boundary line witness markings. Before any tree work near the lake, find the boundary; a tree on Corps land is not yours to cut, even if it shades your deck.
Hazard trees: the Specified Acts Permit
The Corps says Specified Acts Permits cover special actions not covered by Shoreline Use Permits, and its list of uses includes removing hazardous trees. These permits are generally issued for a one-time occurrence as defined in the permit, and additional occurrences require a new permit. To request one, the Corps directs owners to contact the Allatoona Lake Project Management Office at (678) 721-6700 to set up a meeting with a park ranger.
If you have a dead or leaning tree on Corps land threatening your home or dock, that is the route. Plan ahead: the Corps notes that, because of heavy demand, new shoreline permit requests made from May to September could wait three to six weeks for a ranger meeting. For trees on your own side of the line, see dead and hazard tree removal.
Underbrushing and mowing on the shoreline
The Corps says Shoreline Use Permits can only be obtained in locations allocated as limited development areas, and the permitted uses there include docks, underbrushing, electrical lines, water lines, improved steps or walkways and handrails. Its shoreline management office describes issuing permits for docks, underbrushing, grass mowing, shoreline protection, steps and walkways in limited development zones.
Underbrushing is a permitted use, not a right, and it is tied to the zoning of the shoreline. If you already hold a Shoreline Use Permit, the Corps says modifications, such as adding underbrushing, need written approval before work begins, with new plans submitted to the project office. Unapproved changes have to be removed from project lands.
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Free Quote RequestStreams, creeks and the 200-foot county rule
Away from the lake, Cherokee County's own rules focus on soil and water. Development Services says its land disturbance permit regulates any disturbance of soil within two hundred feet of state waters, alongside clearing and grading of one acre or more and removal or destruction of trees or other vegetation. The county defines land disturbance activity in terms of erosion and the movement of sediment into state waters.
That means a tree job beside a creek can become a permitting matter if it disturbs soil, for example through stump removal, grading or heavy equipment ruts. Felling a tree and leaving the stump is very different from grubbing roots on a stream bank. Ask the county before stump work near water, and see land clearing in Cherokee County for the permit process.
Tree ordinance credits for buffers
Cherokee County's Article 27 treats stream buffers as protected areas when it reviews development sites. Specimen trees inside areas that are already protected, such as open space, stream buffers and zoning buffers, do not receive the extra density credit the ordinance gives for designing around specimen trees, because they are already being kept.
For homeowners, the practical lesson is that stream-side trees are often the ones a county reviewer, a Corps ranger or a neighbor will care about most. Their roots hold banks in place. If you need a stream-side tree removed for safety, document why, keep the stump in the ground where possible, and protect the soil. Our ordinance guide has the details.
Questions to ask before shoreline or creek work
Ask the provider whether they have worked under a Corps permit before, and whether they will keep equipment on your side of the boundary. Ask how they will move wood off a steep bank without dragging logs through the soil. If stumps are involved, remember that Georgia's 811 law treats stump removal as excavation.
If you are near Waleska or Canton, the same Corps and county rules apply wherever your lot touches Corps land or state waters; see Waleska and Canton. For routine removals elsewhere on the lot, start with tree removal in Ball Ground.