Beaufort County, SC Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)

Community Development Code § 5.11.100.G, "Invasive Tree Species," states that "Native Lowcountry plant species should be protected from competition from invasive tree species," and that the invasive species subject to this policy "are listed in Table 5.11.100.C." That table names six species by common and scientific name: Chinaberry (Melia azedarach), Chinese Tallow Tree/Popcorn Tree (Triadila sebifera), Mimosa/Silk Tree (Albizia julibrissin), Paper Mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera), Princess Tree (Paulownia tomentosa), and Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissma). Because these species are excluded from the specimen-tree and grand-tree definitions of §§ 5.11.100.B and 5.11.100.F.1.a, a homeowner does not need to treat a large Chinaberry or Mimosa the way the code treats a comparably sized live oak or magnolia.

The code sets a single, size-based line for removal instead: "All invasive species less than 12 inches DBH may be removed without a tree removal permit," but "Removal of an invasive species 12 inches DBH or greater requires a tree removal permit, see Section 7.2.50 (Tree Removal Permit) except when located on a single-family developed lot outside of a required buffer." That carve-out means a homeowner clearing a large invasive tree from the middle of an ordinary residential yard, outside any river buffer or resource protection zone, can skip the permit regardless of size, while the same tree inside a required buffer still needs one.