Lexington County, SC Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Lexington County, 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
- Mitigation ratio
- 3 inches D.B.H. per 1 inch removed
- Replacement minimum size
- 3-inch caliper, 12 feet tall
- Who decides
- County landscape administrator
- No-penalty removal
- Hazardous, diseased, or invasive trees
- Applies to
- Regulated development sites, unincorporated county
Summary
Removing a protected trophy tree in Lexington County triggers mandatory mitigation planting at a 3-to-1 diameter ratio, set by the county's Landscape and Open Space Ordinance.
In the event that an existing trophy tree is permitted to be removed, the landscape administrator shall require either the protection of equivalent mature trees or additional tree plantings equivalent to three inches of D.B.H. for every one inch of D.B.H. of the trophy tree removed. A minimum of a three-inch caliper/12 feet tall to four-inch caliper/15 feet tall tree shall be used for tree plantings associated with trophy tree mitigation.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 20).
Full Breakdown
Lexington County's Landscape and Open Space Ordinance protects designated trophy trees on regulated development sites. If the landscape administrator allows a trophy tree to come down, the developer must either preserve equivalent mature trees elsewhere on site or plant replacement trees totaling three inches of trunk diameter (D.B.H.) for every one inch of D.B.H. removed. Replacement stock must meet a minimum size of three-inch caliper/12 feet tall up to four-inch caliper/15 feet tall. Trees found hazardous, diseased, or invasive can be removed without any mitigation penalty.
Violations & Fines
Removing a trophy tree without landscape administrator approval, or failing to complete the required 3:1 D.B.H. mitigation planting, is a violation enforceable under the county's Landscape and Open Space Ordinance administrative and building-code enforcement provisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this apply to any tree I cut down at my house?
Can I just cut a protected tree instead of replanting?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lexington County
Compare Lexington County to another location·View the South Carolina landscaping rules overview
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