Tree Service in North Myrtle Beach, SC

Crew feeding storm-downed oak limbs into a chipper on a palmetto-lined street in North Myrtle Beach after a tropical storm

North Myrtle Beach is Cherry Grove, Ocean Drive, Crescent Beach and Windy Hill — four beach towns that merged in 1968 — plus Barefoot Resort and the Waterway neighborhoods on the west side of the bridge. The beach side is narrow lots, raised houses, palmettos and the oaks that survived the development; the Barefoot side is golf-course pines and planted live oaks around the newer homes. And the city has had its own tree ordinance since 2002, which is the most homeowner-friendly on the Strand: on a single-family lot you can remove any tree up to 16 inches in caliper without a permit, pines of any size are exempt, 16-to-24-inch trees need a permit and half an inch of replacement per inch removed, and trees over 24 inches go to the Board of Zoning Appeals. The mitigation bank is $300 per caliper inch as of January 2025, and an illegal removal costs double the caliper in replacement trees. Dead and hazardous trees still need written zoning approval, which we get.

The storms are the other half. Matthew spun an 85 mph EF0 tornado through the city in October 2016 and damaged a lot of trees; Florence's strongest gust on the Strand, 77 mph, was measured at Cherry Grove in 2018; Isaias hit 70 at Crescent Beach in 2020; and the 2009 Highway 31 fire burned to the edge of town. On the beach side that means palmettos cleaned before the season, oaks reduced over the raised houses, and the pines on the Barefoot side ranked for lean and weight. The city, like Myrtle Beach, won't haul contractor-generated debris, so we do.

What we do in North Myrtle Beach

NMB permit handling

Under 16 inches, no permit; 16–24 inches, permit and replacement; over 24, BZA — we file whichever applies, and the written approval for dead trees.

Beach-house rigging

Oaks and pines over raised houses on narrow lots taken in pieces; crane from the street when there's no drop zone.

Palmettos & palms

Cleaned to the 9-and-3 line before June; no hurricane cuts.

Barefoot pines

Golf-course and Waterway loblollies assessed for beetles, lightning and lean.

Storm cleanup & haul-off

The city requires contractors to haul their own debris; we do, same day.

Storm response

Cherry Grove's 77 mph in Florence, the 2016 tornado — we answer 24/7.

Neighborhoods and areas we cover

Cherry Grove
Ocean Drive
Crescent Beach
Windy Hill
Barefoot Resort
Tidewater Plantation
Seabrook Plantation
Robbers Roost
Ingram Dunes area
Hwy 17 / Main Street corridor
Waterway side (Little River Neck Road)
Atlantic Beach border

Tree services available in North Myrtle Beach

Questions from North Myrtle Beach homeowners

Can I remove a 14-inch oak in my yard without a permit?

In North Myrtle Beach, yes — anything up to 16 inches in caliper on a single-family lot. Over 16, a permit and replacement trees; over 24, the Board of Zoning Appeals. We measure and tell you which.

Are pines really exempt?

Yes, pines of any size are exempt from the North Myrtle Beach permit. That's unusual on the Strand — Georgetown County and Myrtle Beach both regulate pines in some situations — so don't assume it holds across the city line.

What does the $300 per inch mean?

It's the fee-in-lieu for the mitigation bank when you can't plant the replacement trees the permit requires. A 20-inch oak removed under permit needs 10 inches of replacement; if there's no room, that's $3,000 to the bank.

My palmetto dropped a frond on the car. Does it need the hurricane cut?

No. It needs its dead fronds and seed stalks removed once a year, and the green crown left alone. A hurricane-cut palm is a weaker palm.

Nearby: Little River & Longs · Grande Dunes · Carolina Forest · Loris & Aynor · full service area

Tree service in North Myrtle Beach — its own rules, its own storms