Fort Mill Rules
Do you need a permit to cut down a tree in Fort Mill?
For one tree on an existing home lot, we could not find a Town of Fort Mill permit requirement. Clearing for new construction is a different story, and so are HOA rules.
The Town requires a Land Disturbance Permit before any land-disturbing work for new single-family home construction, new development and redevelopment, and it counts clearing and removal of vegetation as land disturbance. So if trees are coming out to make room for an addition, a pool or a new house, call the Town's Stormwater Department at 803-547-7158 before the saws start.
Town rules apply only inside the Town of Fort Mill's limits. Outside them, county rules apply instead, so find out which side of the line your home is on before you call either office.
If your neighborhood has an HOA, read the covenants before you book anything, since they can set their own rules for front-yard and common-area trees. And if you are near the line with Tega Cay, know that the city next door is much stricter: it requires a free permit to remove any tree over 4 inches in diameter, measured one foot from the ground. Our Tega Cay page has the details.
Debris
Will the Town of Fort Mill pick up tree limbs?
Yes, if you cut the limbs and move them to the road yourself. No, if a contractor leaves them there.
The Town's curbside page says yard debris and tree limbs that a resident has cut and moved to the road are picked up the same day as trash, and the Town lists weekly curbside collection of yard debris, including leaves. It also says items a contractor places at the curb will not be removed by Town personnel. Questions go to Fort Mill Public Works at 803-547-7158.
For a whole tree, that means haul-away belongs in the written estimate. If you plan to keep the wood or move small limbs yourself, tell the tree service before they price the job.
Power Lines
Who handles trees near power lines in Fort Mill?
It depends on which wire. The utility handles the main lines on the poles. The line from the pole to your house is yours to keep clear.
Duke Energy says the property owner has primary responsibility for keeping trees off the service line, the wire between the pole and your meter. Before you or a tree service work around it, ask Duke to turn it off. Duke does that at no cost. For a tree threatening the main lines, Duke has an online tree trimming request, and a vegetation management professional follows up within 10 business days if the tree is a risk to those lines.
Duke also points to OSHA and ANSI Z133: an unqualified person should not work within 10 feet of an overhead line. That is a job for a crew trained for line clearance, not a ladder and a pole saw.
If your power comes from York Electric Cooperative instead, the co-op asks you to call (803) 684-4248 before you trim or remove a tree near any power or service line. To report a Duke outage, Duke lists 800.769.3766 or texting OUT to 57801.
Costs
What does tree work cost in Fort Mill?
HomeAdvisor's 2026 national averages are about $750 for a tree removal, $460 for tree trimming and $369 for stump removal. Fort Mill jobs land above or below those numbers mostly because of height, what sits under the tree, and access.
A tall oak over a roof on a tight lot needs climbing and rigging, while the same tree at the edge of open lawn may come down in one piece. The full cost breakdown by tree height is on our Fort Mill tree removal page, and stump grinding covers the SC811 call that should come before any grinding.