Tree Protection in Wilmington, NC (2026)
1 verified tree protection rules for Wilmington, North Carolina, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Heritage & Protected Trees
Wilmington's Land Development Code protects unusually large trees as 'significant' once they cross a size threshold: 24-inch DBH hardwoods, long leaf pine, pocosin pine, black pine and non-pine conifers, 32-inch DBH for other pines, and 8-inch DBH for dogwoods, magnolias, hollies and other ornamental flowering trees. Any significant tree removed anywhere on a development site must be mitigated with replacement trees, calculated at double the standard rate.
Wilmington Significant Tree Protection Standards
Some RestrictionsCity of Wilmington Land Development Code § 18-456(b)
(b)Significant trees. Hardwood, long leaf pine, pocosin (pond) pine, black pine, and non-pine conifer trees at least twenty-four (24) inches DBH, all other pines at least thirty-two (32) inches DBH, and dogwoods, magnolias, American hollies and other ornamental flowering trees at least eight (8) inches DBH, anywhere on the site shall be considered significant and protected, and shall be preserv...
Looking for New Hanover County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Wilmington city rules.
Tree Protection in New Hanover County →