Tree Removal in Mount Pleasant and Charleston, SC

What a tree removal involves

Removal is the last option. We never recommend taking a tree down when that is not the best course of action, and an arborist's recommendation decides between pruning and removal. If disease, damage to a foundation or other circumstances call for removal, that is what we recommend. If the tree can stay, see tree trimming and pruning.

Our climbers are experienced and work in line with ISA standards, and job sites are left in better condition than when we arrived.

Trees near power lines

OSHA's guidance on tree care and tree removal says a worker can be electrocuted if the worker, their tools or their equipment contact an overhead power line, and "when a tree limb or branch makes contact with an energized power line." Dominion Energy South Carolina says: "Only qualified utility line clearance contractors who meet OSHA qualifications are legally permitted to work within 10 feet of power lines, or work on a tree that has branches within 10 feet of power lines." If a tree or its branches are near a line, contact your electric provider before any work starts. Trees near lines take extra planning, which can affect the estimate.

Decayed and storm-damaged trees

Decay is not always visible. A large sweet gum at a Charleston business had dead limbs near the top and had dropped a branch on a car. After Robert Thompson inspected it, it was removed, and its center was quite deteriorated, which was not apparent to a layperson beforehand (the sweet gum removal).

We also have extensive experience removing trees after major storms: see storm and hurricane tree removal.

When you need a permit to cut down a tree

It depends on which government covers the property and on the tree. This is what Mount Pleasant and the City of Charleston say as of November 2026; confirm with the office before cutting.

Mount Pleasant

The Town's tree page says trees on residential lots 16 inches or greater in diameter, measured 4 1/2 feet from the ground, are protected and need approval before removal, except Sweet Gum, Callary Pear varieties, River Birch, Mimosa, Chinaberry, Chinese Tallow, Camphor tree, White Poplar, Mulberry and Leyland Cypress, and that trees in special buffer areas, critical areas, easements or rights-of-way may be protected regardless of size or species. The Town's zoning code took effect May 1, 2025, and its Tree Protection and Removal page adds that pine trees 24 inches or greater are protected, that a request to remove a historic tree, 24 inches or larger, must include an arborist report, and that removal without approval and a displayed permit "will result in a fine to both the homeowner AND the tree removal company." Pines have their own rule in the code (§ 156.703(D)).

City of Charleston

The City's Tree Removal Information page says trees under 24 inches in diameter on lots zoned Single-Family Residential or Single and Two Family Residential, or used only for single-family or duplex homes, do not require a permit for removal (Sec. 54-326(a)), with these exceptions on the same page: trees in the critical line buffer cannot be removed; on Daniel Island, a tree 8 inches or larger in the Visual Buffer Zone needs Board of Zoning Appeals-Site Design approval "if certain conditions are met"; and a residential lot of one acre or more must keep 15 protected trees per acre. Confirm with the City's Zoning Division before cutting.

Removing a grand tree, 24 inches or more excluding pines and sweetgum as the City's page and Sec. 54-327(a) word it, needs a variance, special exception or staff approval (Sec. 54-329). On Daniel Island, the Architectural Review Board separately requires its own approval before a tree is removed.

Elsewhere around Charleston

Isle of Palms, Sullivan's Island, the Town of James Island and unincorporated Charleston County each set their own rules. A property in West Ashley, on James Island or on Johns Island may be in the City of Charleston, in unincorporated Charleston County or, on James Island, in the Town of James Island, so check the address with the city, town or county first; the City's Find My Districts and Zones page has its maps.

What can affect the cost of tree removal

These general factors can affect an estimate for removing a tree:

• The tree's height, trunk size and spread, and whether it is dead, decayed or leaning.
• What stands under and around it, such as a house, a fence or a driveway, and how easily it can be reached.
• What happens to the wood and debris. Dominion Energy South Carolina says: "Tree debris resulting from storms is the responsibility of the property owner."
• Whether the stump is ground out.
• Permits and replacement trees. In Mount Pleasant, the Town's application fee for a stand-alone tree removal request is $50, non-refundable (per the Town's tree page and fee schedule, as of November 2026), and the Town may require replacement trees; removal tied to construction is approved in the building permit process instead. In the City of Charleston, a live protected or grand tree approved for removal under Sec. 54-329(c) as hazardous, diseased or injured requires replacement with one recommended tree of an equivalent species.

Estimates are free: request one or call (843) 345-0579.

What happens to the stump

The stump can be left or ground out. Stump grinding is available for any tree we remove, and our policy is to grind stumps 6 to 8 inches below grade, so shrubs and bushes can be planted right at the location.

More on how it works: stump grinding.