York County, SC Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

Under York County Code § 154.094, planting street trees in single-family residential developments is not required, but any developer who elects to plant them for appearance must follow specific siting rules. Trees must be planted outside the right-of-way and at least 30 feet from the centerline of the street right-of-way, unless an exemption applies. On streets with a ditch cross-section, trees must go on the far side of the ditch from the street so they do not interfere with ditch surface flow or maintenance.

An exception exists for local streets built with curb, gutter, and on-street parking: there, the Director of Public Works may approve street trees located inside the right-of-way or closer than 30 feet to the centerline if four conditions are met: the trees are appropriately sized for site conditions, planting strips are at least four feet wide, each tree has a root-accessible soil volume of at least 600 cubic feet, and root barriers or comparable practices are used to limit conflicts with infrastructure.

Any street trees that are planted must also come from the approved species list in the county's Land Development Manual and conform to the standards in Subchapter D, Part 4 (Tree Conservation) of the code. Ongoing upkeep is not the county's job: § 154.094(D) places maintenance of street trees on the developer or the homeowners/property owners association in perpetuity, tied to the repair and maintenance obligations set out in Subchapter F, Part 3 (Required Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions). A related right-of-way rule, § 154.093(M), lets the county remove noncompliant vegetation or structures placed in the road right-of-way without prior encroachment permit approval from the Public Works Department.