North Charleston, SC Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in North Charleston, SC, sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances, list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Key Facts
- Protected threshold
- 10 inches DBH or greater
- Permit required
- Before any protected tree is cut
- Mitigation rate
- $217.50 per inch DBH into tree bank
- Replacement cap
- 25% of significant trees removable without replacement
- Survey required
- By licensed SC landscape architect, surveyor or engineer
Summary
North Charleston requires a permit before cutting down any protected tree ten inches or more in diameter at breast height: Section 6-16(d) bans removal without one, and Section 6-16(b) defines the significant, replacement/mitigation and grand trees that permit covers.
(b)Protected trees. Healthy trees ten (10) inches and greater DBH (diameter breast height) are a valuable natural resource, by virtue of their age, size and contribution to the environment. Such trees shall be protected. Protected trees include "significant trees," "replacement/mitigation trees," and "grand trees." ... (d)Permit required. On all sites, removal of trees shall be prohibited prior to securing a permit. Any permits for removal shall meet the requirements set forth in this article. No person shall cut down, top, remove, relocate, damage, destroy, or in any manner abuse any protected tree on any lot or public right-of-way in the city unless authorized by the terms of this section.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 75).
Full Breakdown
' Section 6-16(d) makes the permit mandatory: removal of trees is prohibited on all sites prior to securing a permit, and no person may cut down, top, remove, relocate, damage, destroy or otherwise abuse a protected tree on any lot or public right-of-way without authorization under the section. A tree survey by a licensed South Carolina landscape architect, surveyor or engineer is required with any site plan or subdivision plat that disturbs a site, identifying every significant and grand tree by species, location and DBH.
Removal itself is limited even with a permit: significant trees between 10 and 24 inches DBH within a building or driveway footprint may be cut without replacement, but no more than 25 percent of significant trees outside that footprint may be felled without inch-for-inch replacement, subject to the zoning administrator raising that share to 50 percent on the city horticulturist's recommendation for unusual site conditions. C. Code Ann. 48-23-205(B), utility line maintenance pruning, trees an arborist certifies as dead, dying or diseased, trees causing structural damage that cannot be remedied by root pruning, and residential lots platted before 2007 other than for grand trees.
Violations & Fines
Cutting, topping, removing, relocating, damaging or otherwise abusing a protected tree without a permit is punishable under Section 1-10 of the North Charleston Code of Ordinances, with each day the violation continues a separate offense, and Section 6-16(j)(3) additionally requires inch-for-inch replacement on the same site, or payment into the city's tree bank account, calculated at $217.50 per inch of DBH removed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to cut down a large tree on my North Charleston property?
What counts as a protected tree?
What happens if I cut a protected tree without a permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in North Charleston
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Tree Removal & Heritage Trees in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Charleston County handle tree removal & heritage trees.