Mount Pleasant, SC Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

048(21), street trees may be planted within the public street right-of-way only in accordance with design standards Town Council adopted to balance the benefits of street trees against the risk of damage to public infrastructure as trees mature. The rule applies to the construction of new streets reviewed by the Planning, Land Use and Neighborhoods Department and the Engineering and Development Services Department during subdivision plat approval. Street trees can be planted only where the right-of-way is at least 60 feet wide, which keeps enough room for the roadway, sidewalk and utilities alongside the trees.

The centerline of each planted tree must sit at least five feet horizontally from the edge of pavement, back of curb, or sidewalk, creating the 'verge' or planting strip the ordinance describes as necessary to protect the trees and the adjacent infrastructure. Developers must also include an approved root-barrier treatment with the street tree planting to keep roots from damaging the roadway or sidewalk later; this treatment can be applied at spot locations if construction plans are detailed enough, or along an entire street segment, and must be shown on the approved construction plans submitted for the new street.

A related provision in the same section requires utility easement locations to be coordinated by the project's civil engineer so they do not conflict with the tree-planting standards. Because these standards sit inside the subdivision improvement chapter, they are enforced at the plat-approval and construction-plan stage rather than through after-the-fact citations to homeowners; a developer who plants street trees without meeting the 60-foot right-of-way or 5-foot buffer requirement risks having construction plans rejected or held up during the town's review process.