York County, VA Tree Protection: Heritage & Protected Trees (2026)

Sec. 20.5-83 of the York County Subdivision Ordinance requires the county to preserve heritage, memorial, significant, and specimen trees, along with natural watercourses and other worthy natural features, whenever land inside a proposed subdivision is developed, while still allowing reasonable development to occur. A heritage tree, defined in Sec. 20.5-5 and again in the zoning ordinance's Sec. 24.1-104, is any tree the Board of Supervisors designates by ordinance as having notable historic or cultural significance, adopted under the authority of section 15.2-2306 of the Code of Virginia; a memorial tree is one the board designates to commemorate something specific, and a specimen tree is one the board designates as notable for its outstanding size and quality for its species.

Significant trees are any deciduous or coniferous tree with a caliper of 22 inches or more measured 4.5 feet above grade, and mature trees are any tree 14 inches or more in caliper at that same height. Under Sec. 20.5-83, tree removal and land clearing during a subdivision's construction is generally limited to what's needed for required improvements or lots that already hold a valid building permit, and any mature tree outside that footprint must be protected using the Virginia Erosion and Sediment Control Manual or another generally accepted tree protection method throughout construction.

The subdivision agent, who administers this chapter under Sec. 20.5-7, must see clearing and grading limits shown on development plans before approving them, and Planning and Development Services reviews compliance as part of every subdivision application.