Tree service on Pawleys and Litchfield — the oldest oaks and the toughest fines on the Strand
The Waccamaw Neck has the Strand's grandest live oaks and its most expensive mistakes: $500 per inch of trunk in the county and on the island, permits from 10 inches on the Neck and 5 inches in town, and an island that bans lot clearing outright.
Pawleys Island and Litchfield are the quiet south end of the Strand — the Town of Pawleys Island on its barrier island of old creek-side cottages, Litchfield Beach and Litchfield-by-the-Sea on the mainland shore, and the Waccamaw Neck plantations and communities behind them along Kings River Road and Highway 17: Litchfield Plantation, Pawleys Plantation, Heritage, Willbrook, the River Club, DeBordieu to the south. The live oaks here are the oldest on the coast — Brookgreen's allée next door was planted in the 1700s — and the rules protect them accordingly. Georgetown County's Waccamaw Neck overlay protects every tree 10 inches and up except the exempt species, requires a permit even on occupied single-family lots, bans topping, exempts post-disaster removals, and fines up to $500 per inch of DBH or $12,000 per tree for an individual, with permits withheld for up to three years. The Town of Pawleys Island goes further: hardwoods are protected from five inches, ornamentals from three, pines from 10, nothing in the setback 'border area' can be removed without the Architectural Review Board unless an arborist documents a hazard, lot clearing is prohibited, the fine is $500 per inch, and the ARB can bar a contractor from the island.
The weather here is the same as the rest of the coast and occasionally worse: Hugo cut Pawleys Island in two in 1989, Ian's afternoon outage count was highest on the Strand at Litchfield and Pawleys in 2022, and Tropical Storm Chantal made landfall at Litchfield Beach at four in the morning on July 6, 2025. So our work on the Neck is preservation of the big oaks over the raised cottages and the plantation houses, the county and town permits for nearly every removal (10 inches and 5 inches aren't big), the ARB application on the island, hazard documentation for the oaks that have genuinely failed, careful narrow-lot and creek-side rigging, and storm response that respects the post-disaster exemption and the town's reporting rules.
What we do in Pawleys Island & Litchfield
Georgetown County permits
The Waccamaw Neck 10-inch permit filed for every removal, house lots included; pruning needs no permit.
Town of Pawleys Island ARB
Applications for the 5-inch hardwood rule and the border-area restrictions; hazard documentation from our ISA arborist.
Grand live oak preservation
Deadwooding, weight reduction and root-zone protection for the 200- and 300-year-old oaks.
Creek-side and barrier-island rigging
Removals over raised cottages with the creek on one side and the dune on the other; dune vegetation untouched.
Plantation community ARBs
Litchfield Plantation, Pawleys Plantation, Willbrook, DeBordieu — submittals with the county permit.
Storm response
Chantal's landfall, Ian's outages, Hugo's history — we answer 24/7 and document emergency removals for the county.
Neighborhoods and areas we cover
- Pawleys Island (town)
- Litchfield Beach
- Litchfield-by-the-Sea
- Litchfield Plantation
- Pawleys Plantation
- Heritage Plantation
- Willbrook Plantation
- The River Club
- True Blue
- DeBordieu Colony
- Kings River Road corridor
- Hagley / Waverly
Tree services available in Pawleys Island & Litchfield
- Tree removal, 24/7 emergency service, crane removal
- Trimming & pruning, live oak care, palmetto & palm trimming
- Pine removal & bark beetles, stump grinding, permits & arborist reports
- Hurricane prep, storm cleanup, lot clearing
Questions from Pawleys Island & Litchfield homeowners
Do I need a permit to remove a 12-inch laurel oak on my Litchfield lot?
Yes — Georgetown County's Waccamaw Neck overlay protects every non-exempt tree 10 inches and up, even on an occupied house lot. No replacement is required for single-family lots. We file it.
What about on Pawleys Island itself?
The town's rule is stricter: hardwoods from five inches, ornamentals from three, pines from 10, and anything in the setback border area needs the ARB unless our arborist documents a hazard. Lot clearing is prohibited on the island.
What happens if a contractor cuts without a permit?
On the island, $500 per inch and the ARB can bar the contractor from working there. In the county, up to $500 per inch or $12,000 per tree, and permits withheld on the parcel for up to three years. The homeowner pays the fine.
A storm put an oak on my cottage. Do I wait for a permit?
No — Georgetown County exempts post-disaster removals and every town allows a hazard removal. We photograph it before the cut and file the notice afterward.
Nearby: Murrells Inlet · Surfside & Garden City · Market Common · Conway · full service area