Pinellas County consolidated its tree rules into a new ordinance effective January 23, 2026, and the county's own pages have not all caught up. What is protected at four inches, why every palm over six feet now needs a permit regardless of species, the 24-inch homestead exception and exactly who qualifies for it, the state law route that can replace the permit entirely, the rating system that decides whether a healthy tree can come out at all, and the eight steps to apply.

Dunedin's ordinance opens from the position that every protected tree stays on site. What is protected at 4 inches DBH, the 19 exempt species and the one the city's own page leaves out, why only the cabbage palm needs a permit here while unincorporated Pinellas County now protects every palm, Grand Tree sizes by species, the 25 percent cumulative pruning limit, the $25 application, replacement rules by lot size, the penalty and its lien.