Rock Hill, SC Tree Protection: Tree Replacement Requirements (2026)

Rock Hill's tree-replacement framework is layered rather than codified as a single citywide ratio. The Rock Hill Municipal Code (https://library.municode.com/sc/rock_hill) does not impose a general tree-replacement obligation on private single-family residential tree removal. Replacement obligations arise in three primary contexts. First, the Rock Hill Public Tree Ordinance — administered by the City Forester within Community Forestry — requires replacement planting when a public-property tree is removed (authorized or unauthorized); the ratio and replacement size are set by the City Forester for the specific tree, with appeals to the Rock Hill Tree Commission. Rock Hill's Memorial Tree Program (a $25 donation plants a tree in honor or memory of a loved one) provides one funding mechanism for community plantings. Second, Chapter 31 (Zoning, https://library.municode.com/sc/rock_hill/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=MUCO_CH31ZO) and Planning & Development site-plan review impose tree-inventory, tree-protection-fencing, and replacement-planting conditions on commercial, multifamily, and subdivision development projects — typical ratios in similarly sized South Carolina Piedmont cities range from 1:1 for smaller-diameter losses to 2:1 or 3:1 for larger-diameter mature trees, with replacement caliper of 2 to 2.5 inches and a one- to two-year survivability requirement. The City Landscape Architect inspects landscape installations and verifies replacement compliance. Third, removal of trees designated 'to be saved' on an approved site plan can trigger stop-work orders and amplified replacement at higher ratios. Recommended replacement species for the Rock Hill / Piedmont climate (USDA hardiness zone 8a) include native oaks (white, willow, southern red, post), maples (red, sugar), hackberry (Celtis occidentalis), eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis), southern magnolia, bald cypress (Taxodium distichum), and tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera). Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC (https://hgic.clemson.edu/) and the SC Forestry Commission Urban & Community Forestry program publish SC-specific tree-selection guides.