Harrison County, MS Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Harrison 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
- Governing provision
- UDC Art. VIII, § 828 Landscaping Standards
- Tree preservation credit
- Up to 10% parking reduction for saved trees
- Double-count threshold
- 4-inch trunk preserved tree counts as two trees
- Canopy tree planting spec
- 1-inch caliper, 6 feet tall at planting
- Street tree ratio
- 1 large tree per 50 ft of frontage
- Occupancy hold
- No Certificate of Occupancy until plan installed
Summary
Unincorporated Harrison County's Unified Development Code protects trees through its Landscaping Standards at UDC § 828. Developers must submit a Landscape Plan before a Certificate of Occupancy issues, and the Harrison County Code Office administers a Tree Preservation Credit letting builders keep existing trees on-site by trading them for reduced parking requirements, with larger preserved trees counting double toward planting totals.
Tree Preservation Credit To preserve a protected tree on-site, the Administrator may authorize up to a ten percent reduction in the required number of parking spaces or ten percent compact parking spaces, through the Administrative Modifications process, if the Administrator determines that reduction in the number or size of certain parking spaces could preserve a protected tree that would otherwise be removed to provide for required parking. a. One (1) preserved tree of at least four (4) inch trunk shall count as two (2) trees. The preserved tree must be of high quality and in a healthy state.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
02). The Harrison County Code Office will not issue a Certificate of Occupancy for a building or group of buildings, or for a change of occupancy, until the site's landscaping conforms to these standards, and existing landscaping on developed sites cannot be reduced below what § 828 requires. 03). 04). 06). 06: to keep a protected tree on-site, the Administrator may authorize up to a ten percent reduction in required parking spaces (or ten percent compact spaces) through the Administrative Modifications process. A preserved tree of at least a four-inch trunk counts as two trees toward planting totals, but that credit is revoked if the tree is later damaged by construction, broken branches, soil compaction, or soil cut/fill. The UDC separately defines a 'Preserved Tree' as any tree designated on a site development plan to be preserved during development.
Violations & Fines
Noncompliance is enforced through the Certificate of Occupancy: the Harrison County Code Office withholds a CO for any building, group of buildings, or change of occupancy until the approved Landscape Plan is fully installed and the site meets § 828's landscaping and tree-preservation requirements. Damaging a preserved tree that earned parking-reduction credit, through construction activity, broken branches, soil compaction, or soil cut/fill, revokes that credit under § 828.06(c), reinstating the full parking and planting obligations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to remove trees on my property in unincorporated Harrison County?
What counts as a 'protected tree' that developers can get credit for saving?
How much parking can a builder save by preserving a tree?
What causes a developer to lose the tree preservation credit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Harrison County
Compare Harrison County to another location·View the Mississippi landscaping rules overview
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