Tree removal permit rules in Dorchester County, SC — sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances — list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Dorchester County requires a Tree Removal Permit to destroy a Protected tree. Grand trees (24-inch DBH, including pine) and Significant trees (15 to 24 inch, excluding pine) are protected; small single-family lots are exempt except for non-pine Grand trees.
Dorchester County's Tree and Canopy Protection Standards make it unlawful to fell or destroy a Protected tree without a Tree Removal Permit from the Zoning Administrator. Protected trees are Grand trees, 24 inches DBH or more including pine, and Significant trees, 15 to 24 inches excluding pine. At development, a tree survey is required and Grand trees may be removed only with mitigation. An occupied single-family lot of one acre or less, with a certificate of occupancy for two years, is exempt from protecting Significant and pine trees but still may not remove a non-pine Grand tree. Storm-damaged trees posing imminent danger are excepted.
Removing a Protected or Grand tree without a permit violates the ordinance and can require mitigation planting. Development that clears Grand trees without approval risks stop-work orders and replacement costs.
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See how Dorchester County's tree removal & heritage trees rules stack up against other locations.
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