York County, SC Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)
Key Facts
- Pruning standard
- ANSI A300 Tree Care Operations
- Severe trimming
- Prohibited on required/preserved trees
- Violation consequence
- Property declared nonconforming
- Replacement rate
- Up to 1 in. DBH per inch removed
- Residential duty
- HOA/owner maintains trees in perpetuity
- Exempt areas
- Tree save areas, kept natural
Summary
York County requires trees preserved or planted to satisfy its tree-canopy ordinance to be pruned only to ANSI A300 tree-care standards, and bars severe trimming of those protected trees: a property found to have aggressively trimmed one is declared nonconforming and must replace the damaged trees at the ordinance's minimum size and spacing.
§ 154.203 TREE MAINTENANCE.
(A) Applicability. This section provides for the ongoing maintenance of trees required under this part. The maintenance requirements of this section do not apply to tree save areas, which are to be maintained in a natural condition. ...
(D) Maintenance standards.
(1) All landscape material, maintenance, and management must conform to the minimum standards of the ANSI A300 Standards for Tree Care Operations. ...
(3) Trees may not be severely trimmed and should only be pruned according to the standards of ANSI A300 Standards for Tree Care Operations. If aggressive trimming occurs, the property will be considered nonconforming and required to replace the trees with trees meeting the minimum size, spacing, and quantity standards of this part.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-49: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 3925, passed 6-16-25).
Full Breakdown
206, which applies to new commercial, industrial and multi-family developments, subdivisions, and single-family lots created along new or existing road frontages within the unincorporated county. 203(D), all landscape material, maintenance and management on a covered lot must conform to the minimum standards of the ANSI A300 Standards for Tree Care Operations, and mulch must be installed and kept so the tree's root flare stays visible. Trees required or preserved under the ordinance may not be severely trimmed; pruning must follow ANSI A300 practices. Responsibility differs by property type: on non-residential land the property owner must maintain and protect all plant and screening material for as long as the use continues, while on residential developments the developer or the homeowners' or property owners' association must maintain required trees in perpetuity under the covenants required by Subchapter F, Part 3.
203(A) exempts them from these maintenance rules because they are meant to stay in a natural, unmanaged condition rather than be pruned like an installed landscape tree. 204(C) can be withheld if trees are not in compliance, and inspectors may deem an injured or threatened tree ineligible to satisfy the ordinance's planting or preservation counts.
Violations & Fines
If aggressive trimming occurs on a required or preserved tree, Section 154.203(D)(3) declares the property nonconforming and forces replacement of the damaged trees with new trees that meet the ordinance's minimum size, spacing and quantity standards. General violations of the tree-canopy part are processed and penalized under Subchapter I: Enforcement per Section 154.205(A), and an owner responsible for removing or compromising a protected tree can be ordered to replant at a rate of up to one inch of trunk diameter for every inch removed under Section 154.205(B).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I trim a tree that York County required me to plant or save?
What happens if I over-prune a protected tree in York County?
Who is responsible for maintaining required landscaping in a York County subdivision?
Does this pruning rule apply to every tree on my lot?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in York County
Compare York County to another location·View the South Carolina landscaping rules overview
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