Lexington County, SC Tree Protection: Heritage & Protected Trees (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- New subdivisions requiring open space, Sec. 14-142
- Preservation floor
- 25 percent of existing trophy trees kept
- Mitigation cross-reference
- Sec. 14-131(3)e sets replacement measures
- Planting location
- Mitigation trees go in common areas only
- Exception
- Hazardous, diseased, invasive trees removable penalty-free
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 21-14, effective Nov. 30, 2021
Summary
Lexington County Code § 14-142(c) requires new residential subdivisions to survey for 'trophy trees' before design and to protect at least 25 percent of the trophy trees found on site. Removed trophy trees trigger the mitigation measures cross-referenced in Sec. 14-131(3)e, and mitigation plantings must sit in the subdivision's common areas, not on individual lots.
Sec. 14-142(c). - Trophy tree protection and mitigation. Prior to planning and/or design of an applicable residential subdivision, as regulated within this section, a trophy tree survey shall be submitted for review. The purpose of the trophy tree survey is to identify trophy trees and/or areas of mature trees that must be taken into consideration for protection during the design and construction phase of the new or expanding development. Subdivisions shall be designed to protect a minimum 25 percent of the existing trophy trees within the proposed development. In the event that existing trophy trees must be removed for the development of a residential subdivision that requires open space, section 14-131(3)e. of this article shall be referenced for mitigation measures associated with trophy tree removals. All mitigation measures shall be located within common areas of the residential subdivision and not within individual residential lots. Any trophy tree that has been determined by the landscape administrator as being hazardous, in poor condition or health, an invasively exotic species, or otherwise deemed inappropriate for the site may be removed without penalty.
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
Adopted by Ord. No. 21-14 on November 30, 2021 as part of the county's Landscape and Open Space Ordinance, Sec. 14-142(c) governs "trophy tree protection and mitigation" for residential subdivisions that require open space under Sec. 5 acres or less. Before laying out a site plan, the developer must submit a trophy tree survey identifying trophy trees and areas of mature trees so they can be considered for protection during design and construction. Sec. 14-122 defines a trophy tree simply as "a tree of significance due to its size, relative to its species," with the exact size thresholds set out in the ordinance's appendix.
The subdivision design must protect a minimum of 25 percent of the existing trophy trees on the tract. If a protected trophy tree must be removed to make way for development, Sec. 14-142(c) itself directs the developer to Sec. 14-131(3)e for the mitigation measures that apply. All mitigation plantings must go in the subdivision's common areas, never on an individual residential lot, so the benefit stays available to the whole development rather than one buyer. The rule has a safety valve: the landscape administrator may allow a trophy tree to be removed penalty-free if it is hazardous, in poor condition or health, an invasively exotic species, or otherwise inappropriate for the site, without triggering the mitigation requirement.
Violations & Fines
A developer who clears a protected trophy tree outside the ordinance's hazard, poor-health, invasive-species or site-inappropriateness exceptions without providing the Sec. 14-131(3)e mitigation the landscape administrator requires is out of compliance with the subdivision's landscape permit, which the landscape administrator can withhold, condition or revoke; the county's building and zoning permits are gated on landscape-plan approval under this article.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a 'trophy tree' in Lexington County?
How many trophy trees must a new subdivision keep?
What happens if a trophy tree has to come down for construction?
Does this rule apply to a single homeowner cutting a big tree in their yard?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lexington County
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