Sea Pines Architectural Review Board

• Office: 175 Greenwood Drive, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928
• Phone: 843-671-5533
• Email: contact@seapinesarb.com
• Meets: Most Tuesdays at 1 p.m.

The Sea Pines ARB, short for Architectural Review Board, approves every change to the outside of a home in Sea Pines, from a new house down to a repaint or a single tree. The Sea Pines covenants give it that job, and it carries it out by reviewing plans and inspecting the work. It is the reason houses in Sea Pines sit back in the trees in muted, earthy colors rather than standing out from them.

If you own in Sea Pines, or are thinking of buying there, this is what the ARB will ask of you, what it costs and how to get on its agenda. It is one of the groups in the Sea Pines community directory.

What Needs Sea Pines ARB Approval

The short answer is anything on the outside. A new home, an addition, a pool, a deck, a dock, a fence, solar panels, a generator, new windows, a new roof, a repaint, exterior lights, a dumpster in the driveway during a remodel, and cutting down a tree. The ARB publishes separate guidelines for single-family homes, commercial property, signs and disaster recovery, plus an exterior color board. Your builder or architect should read the relevant set before drawing anything.

ARB approval is not the only permit. The Town of Hilton Head Island issues its own building permits, and the ARB’s guidelines point out that a re-roof needs one from the Town as well.

Trees: The Rule That Surprises New Owners

Under the Sea Pines covenants, you may not remove any tree that is 6 inches or more across, measured 4 feet off the ground, without written approval from the ARB first. That holds whatever the species and wherever it stands on your lot, and it holds for dead and diseased trees too: the board’s representative has to see the tree before it comes down, and the ARB will not accept an explanation afterwards.

Pruning is allowed, within limits. Taking off more than 30 percent of a tree’s leaves at once counts as removing it, and so does topping any tree over 6 inches. Penalties for an unapproved removal are set by species and size. At the top of the schedule in the May 2026 guidelines, an oak 20 inches or more across can cost up to $8,500 plus $500 for every inch over 20, and the ARB can also require replacement trees. Replacements it asks for on an approved removal are planted at 8 to 10 feet tall.

Sea Pines ARB Meetings and Deadlines

The board normally meets every Tuesday at 1 p.m. in its office at 175 Greenwood Drive, the same address as the CSA. A complete application received by noon on a Wednesday goes on the agenda for the second Tuesday after that. Anything missing a required piece is deferred, not reviewed. On months with a fifth Tuesday, that meeting is set aside for reviewing policies and guidelines, not applications. Agendas and results for every meeting are posted on seapinesarb.com.

ARB Fees

These are from the ARB’s residential fee schedule, revised May 29, 2025. Fees are paid up front and are not refunded.

• Re-roof or repaint: $25

• Tree removal request: $50

• Repairs: $75 to $200

• Decks, fences and walls, driveways, generators: $200 each

• Solar panels, demolition, a beach walkway: $500 each

• Pool: $700

• Addition or major alteration: $500 for the conceptual review, then $700 and up

• New home: $1,000 for the conceptual review, then $2,000 and up depending on size

• Variance: $1,000 for each one requested

Who Sits on the Sea Pines Architectural Review Board

The ARB’s website lists nine board members, backed by a small office staff. The Sea Pines Property Owners Association appoints three of the members. Openings are posted on the ARB’s website with an application form. For how the ARB fits alongside the association that runs the roads and gates, see Sea Pines Community Services Associates.