North Charleston, SC Tree Protection: Heritage & Protected Trees (2026)
Key Facts
- Grand tree threshold
- 24 inches DBH or greater
- Removal standard
- No practical alternative site design finding required
- Mitigation
- Inch-for-inch replacement regardless of location on site
- Tree bank rate
- $217.50 per inch DBH if off-site payment used
- Subdivision limit
- Lots can't be platted to force a grand tree's removal
Summary
North Charleston reserves its toughest tree protection for 'grand trees,' healthy trees 24 inches or more in diameter at breast height: Section 6-16(f)(2)a bars removal unless the zoning administrator and city horticulturist find no practical alternative site design, and any approved cutting still requires inch-for-inch replacement.
(2)Grand trees:a.Only after a finding by the zoning administrator and city horticulturist that an applicant has demonstrated through an examination of various site designs that there is no practical alternative location of a building, drainage pond, driveway, right-of-way or other building design that would leave the grand tree in place and in good health, the removal of grand tree is permitted with applicable mitigation as prescribed in subsection (g)(3) below. ... b.Grand trees: The approved cutting of any healthy grand tree shall require inch for inch replacement regardless of where the tree is located. For example, inch for inch replacement of grand trees shall be required even if the grand tree falls in the footprint of proposed buildings, driveways, rights-of-way or drainage ponds.
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
Under the mitigation table accompanying Section 6-16, a grand tree is any tree of 24 inches DBH or greater, excluding pine, sweetgum and invasive species, a higher bar than the 10-inch threshold that protects an ordinary significant tree. Section 6-16(f)(2)a sets the removal standard: a grand tree may be cut only after the zoning administrator and the city horticulturist find, based on an examination of alternative site designs, that no practical alternative location for a building, drainage pond, driveway or right-of-way would let the tree remain in place and healthy.
Even then, removal is not free of consequence. Section 6-16(g)(3)b requires inch-for-inch replacement for any approved grand tree cutting regardless of where on the site the tree stood, including when the tree falls within the footprint of a proposed building, driveway, right-of-way or drainage pond, a stricter rule than the 25-percent-before-replacement allowance given to ordinary significant trees. 50 per inch of DBH removed. 1 bars platting a lot so that a grand tree sits at or near the lot's center in a position that would force its removal to build a house.
Violations & Fines
Cutting a grand tree without the zoning administrator's and city horticulturist's no-practical-alternative finding, or without the required inch-for-inch replacement, is punishable under Section 1-10 of the North Charleston Code of Ordinances, with each day of the violation a separate offense, and Section 6-16(j)(3) still requires inch-for-inch replacement on site or payment into the tree bank at $217.50 per inch of DBH, on top of any fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a tree a 'grand tree' in North Charleston?
Can a builder ever remove a grand tree?
How much does it cost to remove an approved grand tree?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in North Charleston
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Heritage & Protected Trees in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Charleston County handle heritage & protected trees.