Hinds County, MS Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Hinds County, MS, sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances, list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Key Facts
- Significant Tree
- 6-inch+ caliper, healthy (§2.68)
- Replacement standard
- Equal or exceed lost point value
- Applies to
- Landscape-point-credited trees only
- Trigger
- Death during or from construction
Summary
When a landscape-point-credited Significant Tree in Hinds County dies during or because of construction, the developer must plant a replacement tree or trees worth at least as many points as the tree that was lost.
Any Significant Tree claimed for points that dies during construction, or
as a result of construction, shall be replaced with a tree (or trees) to equal
or exceed the point of value of the lost tree.
4. Nothing contained in this Ordinance shall be construed as a mandate to
cut down existing trees which do not conform to the placements
described herein for newly planted trees. Existing trees which are
preserved on the site may be credited toward the minimum requirement.
However, such credits do not eliminate the need to place trees in parking
islands and perimeters where there are no trees.
Full Breakdown
A Significant Tree is any existing tree of six-inch caliper or greater found to be in good health by a qualified professional such as a Certified Arborist, under International Society of Arboriculture guidelines. Developers earn landscape points for preserving such trees on commercial, industrial, and multifamily sites instead of planting new stock. If a credited tree dies during construction or as a result of it, the county requires the developer to replace it with a tree or trees whose combined point value equals or exceeds what the lost tree was worth, not simply a like-for-like replacement in size or species.
Violations & Fines
Replacement failures fall under the ordinance's general landscaping violations clause: a fine of at least $100 per day, each day a separate offense, following notice from the Director of Public Works.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a 'Significant Tree' under Hinds County's ordinance?
How much replacement is required if a credited tree dies?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hinds County
Compare Hinds County to another location·View the Mississippi landscaping rules overview
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