How Atlanta’s New Tree Law Could Reduce Flood Risk in Your Neighborhood — or Make It Worse

Could tree removal raise your flood risk — and your insurance rates?
If you live in the Atlanta metro area, you’ve likely seen how heavy rain can overwhelm streets and yards in just minutes. But what you may not realize is how much trees, or the lack of them, influence that flood risk.

Now, with Atlanta passing a new tree conservation ordinance in 2025, many homeowners and developers are asking: Will this help solve the city’s flooding problems, or make flood insurance even more complicated?

At The Flood Insurance Guru, we’ve worked with homeowners across Georgia to help them understand how local policies, land development, and natural barriers like tree canopy affect flood insurance costs and eligibility.

In this article, you’ll learn:

• What’s actually changed in Atlanta’s new tree law
• How tree removal and flood risk are scientifically connected
• Who this could affect most — even outside FEMA flood zones
• What steps you should take if you own property in Atlanta

🌳 What Changed in Atlanta’s Tree Conservation Law?

Atlanta’s updated tree ordinance was approved in June 2025. While scaled down from earlier versions, it still makes several major changes that aim to preserve tree cover.

Key changes include:

• Increased tree removal fees: Developers now pay $140 per diameter inch of tree removed.
• Bigger penalties for illegal removal: Fines can reach up to $200,000 per acre.
• New support for low-income residents: Funds are now available to help seniors manage hazardous trees.
• Permit tightening: City arborists can deny permits if developers don't reasonably avoid harming healthy trees.

What didn’t make it in? A requirement to preserve a certain percentage of tree canopy per lot. That omission has drawn criticism from conservationists — and raises questions about how much flood risk will actually be reduced.

Can Trees Really Lower Flood Risk?

Absolutely — and the science is clear.

Trees reduce stormwater runoff by capturing, absorbing, and slowing rainfall.

Canopy Interception

Large trees act like umbrellas. Their leaves capture rain before it hits the ground, reducing the total runoff volume.

Mature trees can intercept over 1,000 gallons of stormwater each year.

Root System Infiltration

Tree roots break up soil and create pathways for rain to soak in rather than flow across pavement or compacted ground.

Infiltration rates under trees can be 2–3x higher than in open grass.

Transpiration

Trees act as natural pumps, drawing water out of the ground and releasing it into the atmosphere through leaves.

Pollution Filtration

Tree roots and soil systems also remove pollutants — like oil, sediment, and fertilizer — from stormwater before it reaches streams.

How Tree Loss Worsens Flooding in Atlanta

Atlanta is especially vulnerable due to its geography and development pattern:

• It sits at the headwaters of multiple major watersheds
• It has historically modified floodplains — areas where streams were buried underground but still flood
• It’s rapidly developing, with tree canopy dropping below 45%

When trees are removed:

• Runoff increases dramatically, overwhelming pipes and storm drains
• Flash floods become more severe, even in Zone X areas
• Polluted runoff flows untreated into waterways, clogging systems and reducing downstream capacity

Tree loss doesn’t just affect where water goes — it affects how much, how fast, and how dirty it is when it gets there.

Who's Most at Risk?

Homeowners in FEMA Flood Zones (SFHA)

• Already required to carry flood insurance
• May not see premium drops yet, but improved flood management could reduce risk over time
• Some may qualify for lower premiums if they can prove reduced flood exposure

Homeowners in Flood Zone X

• Increasingly being asked by private lenders to carry flood insurance based on flood risk scores
• These risk models do account for local runoff, topography, and tree canopy
• Tree removal upstream could increase their risk score — and premiums

Even if your property isn’t in a mapped flood zone, it could flood, and that risk may rise if nearby trees are removed.

What This Law Could Mean for Your Flood Insurance

While FEMA flood insurance pricing doesn't directly factor in tree cover (yet), many private insurers and risk modeling tools do.

• Less tree cover = more runoff = higher modeled risk
• More runoff = higher chance your basement or first floor floods
• Private insurers may raise premiums — or even deny coverage — in riskier areas

Preserving tree cover in your area isn’t just good for the environment, it might help keep your flood insurance available and affordable.

What Should You Do Next?

• Get a professional flood risk assessment, especially if you’re in Zone X
• Monitor tree removal near your home or rental property
• Preserve or plant trees on your property
• Talk to your insurance agent about how this could affect your flood insurance

If you're unsure where your property stands, we can help.

Want to Know How This Affects Your Coverage?

 Visit our Atlanta Flood Insurance page to explore your property’s risk, your zone status, and how to reduce your premiums, especially if you’ve seen flooding in your area before.

We’ll help you understand your true flood risk, and how to prepare for what’s next.

Final Thoughts: Tree Canopy vs. Concrete — Which Will Win?

Atlanta’s new ordinance is a step in the right direction — but without mandatory preservation standards, it may not be enough.

Flood risk in Atlanta is growing, and much of it is being shaped not by rivers, but by rooftops, driveways, and disappearing trees.

At The Flood Insurance Guru, we believe in combining natural flood mitigation with smart insurance planning. Whether you’re in a mapped FEMA zone or not, tree loss and urban runoff are risks you can’t afford to ignore.

Conclusion

Atlanta’s new tree ordinance is about more than landscaping — it could influence future flooding across the city.

Homeowners are already seeing water where it’s never been before. And tree removal can make that worse.

 If you’re in Atlanta and want to understand how this law affects your property and flood insurance, visit our Atlanta Flood Insurance page for expert guidance.

 At The Flood Insurance Guru, we help you protect what matters most, not just from today’s rules, but tomorrow’s storms.