Southern Pines & Pinehurst Tree Rules, Permits and Burning

The short version

Southern Pines

Trees on private lots. The Town of Southern Pines' tree page deals with trees in the right-of-way and on town property, and lists no permit for removing a tree on a private lot (checked Nov 9, 2026). Clearing land for building is a separate process run through Planning. The town's public comment page also shows proposed tree protection amendments for private land in certain areas, including rural areas, West Southern Pines and large planned developments, and doesn't say they were adopted (checked Nov 9, 2026). If you're planning more than a tree or two, or the lot is being built on, ask Planning at 910-692-4003 or plan@southernpines.net whether anything new applies.

Trees in the right-of-way. The tree page is direct: an application for a Tree Removal Permit has to come before any right-of-way tree is taken down. Buildings and Grounds and the Appearance Commission review roughly 12 to 20 applications a year, and when a right-of-way tree is a safety hazard, such as one blocking sight lines at an intersection, Buildings and Grounds removes or trims it. To find out whether a tree is in the right-of-way, call Parks & Grounds at 910-692-4863 (checked Nov 9, 2026).

The town code backs this up. Its section on removing right-of-way trees (Ordinance 1623, passed June 14, 2016) makes it unlawful to remove a tree from a right-of-way or town property without written authorization from the Town Horticulturist, who issues a permit only when removal is reasonably necessary for health, safety or welfare. Anyone who removes one without permission can be required to replace it or pay the town for a replacement. Section 101.22 makes it unlawful to prune or trim trees in public rights-of-way except by the town's published standards (both checked Nov 9, 2026). Those standards also ask utilities and their contractors to give neighbors at least 24 hours' notice by door hanger before routine trimming or removal.

Southern Pines has been a Tree City USA since 1979 and keeps a list of 100 "significant trees" chosen for age, beauty or rarity, according to its tree page.

Pinehurst

Trees on private lots. The Village of Pinehurst's planning page says that for tree removal, "Generally, you will not need a permit." Its buffer standards FAQ, dated December 20, 2021, puts it more fully: generally you won't need a permit or have to pay the village a fee to remove a tree outside the Historic District (both checked Nov 9, 2026).

The historic district. Inside the Historic District, the same FAQ says, a certificate of appropriateness may be required to remove trees in the front yard. The district includes all properties in the National Historic Landmark district, plus a 2001 survey area and other properties surveyed later, and work there is subject to added review by the Historic Preservation Commission and staff. The village's application form even has a box for projects that include tree removal. Call (910) 295-8659 for an appointment with planning staff before scheduling front-yard tree work in the district (checked Nov 9, 2026).

Street trees. The village manages trees along its public streets, and removing a right-of-way tree must be approved by Public Services, 910-295-5021 (checked Nov 9, 2026).

Minimum trees and buffer yards. Section 9.14.6 of the Pinehurst Development Ordinance includes a table setting a minimum number of trees, 2 inches or more across at chest height, per dwelling on existing single-family lots that aren't being redeveloped, with the count depending on the zoning district. For new building and redevelopment, it asks that sites be designed to minimize the removal of mature specimen trees and names longleaf pine, dogwood, American holly and southern magnolia as examples. Buffer yards come into play when a vacant lot undergoes land-disturbing activity (checked Nov 9, 2026). If a removal would leave a lot with very few trees, or the lot is about to be built on, ask Planning & Inspections at (910) 295-1900 first.

Aberdeen, Whispering Pines and the other towns

Aberdeen, Whispering Pines, Vass, Carthage, Robbins, Pinebluff, Cameron, Taylortown and Foxfire Village are separate towns and villages, each with its own elected board, according to Moore County's directory of officials (checked Nov 9, 2026). This site couldn't open Aberdeen's or Whispering Pines' ordinances online when it checked on Nov 9, 2026, so it can't say what either requires. Before cutting a tree near a street or on a lot being developed, call the town hall.

Outside town limits

West End, Seven Lakes and the rural parts of the county fall under Moore County. This site found no county permit for removing a tree from an existing home lot, but it didn't read the full county ordinance; Moore County Planning answers at 910-947-5010 (checked Nov 9, 2026). Many subdivisions and golf communities also have association rules about trees. Those are private covenants, separate from any government permit, so read them before cutting.

Trees along state roads

Many roads in the county are maintained by the state. For a tree on or over a state road's right-of-way, or one that has fallen across it, NCDOT's Moore County Maintenance Yard is at 993 Priest Hill Road in Carthage, (910) 773-8070 (checked Nov 9, 2026).

The federal woodpecker rules

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service runs a review process just for Moore County because of the red-cockaded woodpecker, a federally protected bird that nests in pines. The Service's maps sort the county into Red and Clear Zones. In the Red Zone, a consultant's cavity tree survey is required before removing trees 8 inches or more across; in the Clear Zone, no survey is needed, and the Service's self-certification letter covers work that won't take place within 50 feet of a cavity tree (checked Nov 9, 2026). The Service's page shows nesting trees identified with a white band of paint. The details are on longleaf and tall pines.

Burning inside Southern Pines and Pinehurst

Southern Pines: the Fire Department's burn page says, "Residential Open Burning Is Not Allowed Inside the Municipal Limits of Southern Pines." Burning for land clearing inside town limits may be allowed only with the Fire Chief's approval, which can take a site visit and up to 24 hours. A one- or two-family home may use a fire pit or portable outdoor fireplace without a permit if it burns only natural firewood or commercial logs and meets the setbacks. Call the Fire Department at 910-692-2720 with questions (checked Nov 9, 2026).

Pinehurst: the Fire Department's burning FAQ, revised April 2018, says that "outdoor burning of any type is prohibited in the Village of Pinehurst corporate limits," and that burning yard debris isn't allowed because the village provides curbside pickup. Recreational fire pits must be at least 25 feet from a structure or anything combustible. Pinehurst Fire: (910) 295-5575 (checked Nov 9, 2026).

Burning outside town limits

Three layers apply, and all of them have to allow the fire (checked Nov 9, 2026):

• The N.C. Forest Service permit. In counties like Moore that aren't on the state's high-hazard list, any open fire lit from midnight to 4 p.m. needs a permit when it sits in woodland or no farther than 500 feet from it, unless it's within 100 feet of a lived-in home. The Forest Service doesn't charge for permits; get one online at ncforestservice.gov/burnpermits or through the Moore County office at 1358 NC Highway 73 in West End, 910-235-0216.
• The state air quality rules. The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality allows burning residential yard waste only if it grew on the property, is burned there, public pickup isn't available, and local rules allow it. No burning on Code Orange, Red or Purple air quality days. Land-clearing piles have to be at least 500 feet from occupied buildings.
• Burn bans. A statewide ban stops all open burning whether or not a permit would otherwise be needed. The county can go further: Moore County News reported on April 1, 2026 that the Moore County Fire Marshal's Office had issued a local ban covering all open burning, including fires near homes that the statewide ban had left out.

If a contractor will burn on your property, settle in writing who gets the permit, who watches the fire, and who answers for it if it gets away.

Limbs, leaves and where they go

Southern Pines collects yard debris from homes twice a month (checked Nov 9, 2026):

• Limbs no longer than 4 feet and no thicker than 4 inches.
• Limbs and shrubbery in one pile; leaves, pinecones and clippings in another.
• No more than 3 cubic yards per collection.
• At the curb, not in the street, gutter or ditch or against a fence.
• Debris from clearing an undeveloped lot isn't collected.
• Questions: 910-693-4183.

Pinehurst picks up loose, unbagged yard debris in its brown cart each week, with carts at the curb before 7 a.m. What won't fit goes to the Moore County Landfill. Public Services: 910-295-5021, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (checked Nov 9, 2026).

Moore County Landfill: 456 Turning Leaf Way, Aberdeen, off Highway 5. Open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday 7 a.m. to noon. Every load must be covered with a secured tarp, or a $50 charge is added to the regular landfill fee. Call 910-947-7177 for current fees (checked Nov 9, 2026). Southern Pines also points residents to the county site at 5361 U.S. Highway 15-501 in Carthage for items not collected at the curb.

A tree crew's logs and brush are far more than either town's curbside limits allow, which is why hauling, chipping or leaving rounds on site should be written into the contractor's price.

Before any digging

North Carolina's 811 law defines excavation broadly, as moving or removing earth with manual or mechanized equipment, and grinding or pulling a stump below the surface does that. G.S. 87-122 requires notice to NC 811 at least three full working days before the work, and the notice expires 28 calendar days after the work start date. Call 811 or 1-800-632-4949. Only public lines get marked; septic, irrigation and well lines are the owner's to point out (checked Nov 9, 2026). See stump grinding.

Questions about the rules

Does Southern Pines require a permit to take down a tree on my lot?

The town's tree page lists a permit only for trees in the right-of-way. For a tree on your own lot, no town permit is listed, but ask Planning if the lot is being developed or if you're removing many trees.

Is my Pinehurst house in the historic district?

The district covers the National Historic Landmark area and some surveyed properties around it. The quickest way to know is to ask Pinehurst planning staff at (910) 295-8659.

Can I burn leaves in my backyard in Pinehurst?

No. The village prohibits outdoor burning of any kind, other than recreational fires in pits that meet the setbacks.

Can the tree contractor burn the brush at my house in the county?

Only if the Forest Service permit rules, the state air rules and any burn ban all allow it. If the burn counts as land clearing under the state rules, the pile has to be at least 500 feet from occupied buildings (DEQ, checked Nov 9, 2026). NC Air Quality's regional office, listed by the Pinehurst Fire Department at (910) 433-3300, can say which rule fits your situation.

This site passes each request to one independent contractor who works in Moore County. Permits and permissions are between you, the contractor and the office that issues them.

• Tree removal
• Longleaf and tall pines
• Hiring a tree service

• Town of Southern Pines: Trees page; Code of Ordinances, tree removal from rights-of-way (Ord. 1623, June 14, 2016) and § 101.22; Planting and Trimming Standards in Town Right of Way; Planning page; Fire Department burn page and Open Burning form (January 2022); Yard Debris page. Checked Nov 9, 2026.
• Village of Pinehurst: Planning page; Buffer Development Standards FAQ (December 20, 2021); Local Historic District page; Historic COA application (revised July 2021); Pinehurst Development Ordinance § 9.14.6; Outdoor Burning FAQs (revised April 2018); Solid Waste page. Checked Nov 9, 2026.
• Moore County staff directory, directory of elected officials (November 17, 2025) and Solid Waste page; NCDOT directory, Moore County Maintenance Yard; Moore County News, April 1, 2026. Checked Nov 9, 2026.
• N.C. Forest Service, Open Burning Permits and Moore County contacts; N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, Open Burning (15A NCAC 2D .1900); N.C. General Statutes 87-117 and 87-122; NC 811 FAQ; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Moore County project review. Checked Nov 9, 2026.