Tree Service in Mount Pleasant, SC

Tree Service in Mount Pleasant got more involved in 2025. With its zoning code update, the town now protects trees of 16 inches and larger on residential property, and pines, which used to come down without a permit, are protected at 24 inches and up. If a tree in your yard is near either size, removal will likely need a permit and a replacement plan. We measure, photograph and explain your options before anything is cut.

Replanting is part of the job now

When a protected tree comes out of a residential lot, replacement trees have to be planted. The town lowered the minimum replacement size from a 4-inch caliper tree to a 2-inch caliper tree, which is easier to plant and establishes faster. Local reporting on the change noted that a replanting plan has to be approved before the removal permit is issued, and that paying into the town's tree bank is meant for cases where on-site planting isn't possible. We can suggest replacement spots that won't put a future shade tree under the wires or against the foundation.

Protection zones during construction

The update also sets a protection zone around trees with a radius of one foot for each inch of trunk diameter. A 20-inch oak gets a 20-foot circle. If you're adding a garage, pool or driveway, that circle drives the site plan. Talk to us before the excavator shows up, and we can prune for clearance, root-prune cleanly where it's allowed, and set expectations for the tree's recovery.

Older streets, newer subdivisions

Mount Pleasant grew from about 23,000 people in 1990 to 90,801 in 2020, so most yards are in subdivisions built in the last few decades. In those neighborhoods the trees are often live oaks and laurel oaks planted too close to houses, plus pines left over from the land before it was cleared. The Old Village is different: it's the town's oldest neighborhood, and its yards carry big magnolias, oaks and palmettos alongside overhead lines. In 2022 Dominion Energy's line-clearing work there included cutting back a magnolia and removing a palmetto planted under the wires.

Trees and the power lines

Dominion Energy maintains its lines on roughly a five-year cycle and says only qualified line-clearance workers should work within 10 feet of a power line. If a limb is in the wires, call the utility, not a tree company. For the service drop to your house, Dominion will disconnect it at no charge so a private crew can remove the limbs safely. We'll coordinate that with you.

Getting an estimate

Tell us your neighborhood and what's going on, whether it's a pine leaning toward the house in Park West or an oak overhanging the street in the Old Village. Call (843) 202-4599 or use the form. We'll visit, measure and give you a written estimate that includes any permit and replanting steps. Get a free estimate