Belleair Shore Tree Removal Permits and Tree Ordinance Guide
Last reviewed October 5, 2026. Next review due April 5, 2027. By Forest, Property Intelligence Specialist, Ken's Tree Service.
Do you need a tree removal permit in the Town of Belleair Shore?
A protected tree on a Town of Belleair Shore lot generally needs Pinellas County's tree permit for removal, effective removal or transplant, subject to the qualifying homestead provision and state-law route explained in this guide. County Section 58-809 County Section 58-813(b)
The application goes to Pinellas County; its application page expressly includes Belleair Shore, and the county administrator or designee evaluates the proposed work under the code. County application jurisdiction County Section 58-813(b)(1)a
Start with the Pinellas County city-or-county permit hub for related jurisdiction reading. This guide distinguishes the Town's rules from the county permit.
The Town's codified ordinances contain no tree permit or adoption of the county tree ordinance; County Sections 58-809 and 166-38 supply their own incorporated-area reach, with municipal provisions prevailing where an actual conflict exists. County Section 58-809 County Section 166-38
By contrast, Town Section 34-1 expressly adopts the county's concurrency management system, not its tree ordinance. Town Section 34-1
Does the ordinance favor keeping trees?
The county ordinance favors retention, with removal eligibility tied to tree ratings rather than an automatic approval once an application is filed. County Section 58-808 County Section 58-813(b)(3)
County staff rate trees outside wetlands and native vegetative communities from zero through three; an applicant may supply a qualified professional's rating at the applicant's expense, but the county makes the final determination. County Section 58-813(b)(2)
Rating | Condition category | Removal and replacement position |
|---|---|---|
0, Poor | Dead/dying, nuisance/invasive, or poor condition; below 40 percent | Approved permit; no replant trees or minimum landscape requirement under this rating |
1, Fair | 40 to 59 percent | Approved permit; replants and minimum landscaping |
2, Good | 60 to 79 percent | Approved permit only for interference with improvements/utilities or county-verified public health, safety or welfare threat; replants and minimum landscaping |
3, Excellent | 80 percent or greater; includes specified native, significant and size categories | Permit when preventing development/access, interfering with utilities or necessary for county-verified public health, safety or welfare; replants and minimum landscaping |
Table authority: County Section 58-813(b)(3), Table 58-813(a).
The Excellent description also includes historic or unusual/rare trees, hardwood species greater than 36 inches DBH and softwood species less than 20 inches DBH that would otherwise be Grade 2; ask the county how it applies the softwood clause. County Section 58-813(b)(3), Excellent rating
Which trees and palms are protected?
Subject to the qualifying homestead provision and state-law route, the operative county list protects trees with DBH of four inches or larger measured four and a half feet above ground, and all palms six feet in height or larger. County Section 58-813(a)(1) and (2)
All palm species are included in that default list, not only cabbage palms; the list provides no species carve-out, while nuisance-species permitting and the property-specific exceptions remain separate questions. County Section 58-813(a)(2)
The county definition describes a self-supporting woody perennial reaching at least ten feet at maturity with at least one stem four inches DBH, includes palms more than six feet high, and also includes permit-required planted, relocated or replacement trees and any mangrove or buttonwood specimen. County Section 58-807, Tree definition
The definition's more-than-six wording differs from the operative palm rule's six-feet-or-larger wording; use the operative threshold and ask the county about a borderline palm rather than treating exactly six feet as unprotected. County Section 58-807, Tree definition County Section 58-813(a)(2)
Dead or dying trees fall within the Poor rating's approved-permit route when otherwise protected; that rating removes replant and minimum landscaping obligations, not the permit requirement. County Section 58-813(b)(3), Poor rating
The January 2026 tree rewrite, Ordinance No. 26-3, became effective January 23, 2026. Ordinance 26-3 effective date County Section 58-813 history
How do you measure a tree for the county threshold?
DBH is measured four and a half feet above the ground or substrate, and the operative ordinary-tree threshold is four inches or larger, subject to the qualifying homestead provision and state-law route. County Section 58-807, DBH definition County Section 58-813(a)(1)
For an approximate diameter screening calculation, divide circumference at that height by 3.14. A circumference of 12.56 inches corresponds to four inches diameter, and 75.36 inches corresponds to 24 inches diameter; these are calculated equivalents, not additional code thresholds. County measurement guidance
Ask the county about uncertain multi-stem, irregular-trunk or palm measurements. Circumference does not replace the palm-height rule.
Does a homestead exemption change the tree rule?
The greater-than-24-inch DBH rule requires all three conditions: a Pinellas County Property Appraiser homestead exemption, an existing single-family detached residence, and active single-family residential use; the state-law route remains separate. County Section 58-813(a)(3)
The Town has one single-family zoning district covering its territory and restricts dwelling use to single-family residential purposes, excluding transient accommodation, but these zoning provisions do not establish a parcel's homestead exemption or active detached-residential use. Town Section 46-101 Town Section 46-102
Have the county confirm how its homestead paragraph interacts with palms and any tree installed under a prior permit. This guide does not assign an exemption to a particular property.
Does pruning a tree on private property need a permit?
Routine private-property pruning is described by the county as not needing a tree permit, but pruning that effectively removes a protected tree requires one, and mangroves, wetland vegetation, retained construction trees and required landscaping remain subject to their separate controls. County routine-pruning guidance County Section 58-813(b) County Section 166-50(b) County Section 166-56
Effective removal includes removing branches, foliage or stems so severely that natural function or form is affected, including topping, defoliation and excessive root pruning; the definition refers to the most up-to-date pruning standards. County Section 58-807, Effective removal definition
The Town's own hedge rule requires periodic owner or agent trimming when a hedge west of its 50-foot Gulf construction setback exceeds four feet; it is not a general tree-pruning permit. Town Section 46-133
No standalone Town pruning permit, topping rule or hatracking rule was located in the Town's codified code. That finding does not cancel the county's effective-removal rule or authorize work in a road right-of-way.
Can prohibited or invasive trees be removed without a permit?
The Town prohibits planting Australian Pines, Washingtonian Palms, Punk trees and Brazilian Pepper trees; Section 46-145 does not authorize removal of an existing tree. Town Section 46-145
County Section 138-3653 identifies nuisance/invasive species through its county-website list and provides a no-fee permit route for listed species, while Chapter 166 says a no-cost permit may still be required. County Section 138-3653(a)(1)a County Section 166-53(b)
The currently served county list names Australian pine, Brazilian pepper and Punk tree in Tier 1. Tier 1 Australian pine Tier 1 Brazilian pepper Tier 1 Punk
Its expanded Tier 2 reference also includes the latest Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council Category I and II lists. Expanded Tier 2 list
Washingtonian Palms are not a named row on the served county list, and this research did not establish a species-based no-fee removal route for them. Do not infer permission from the Town's planting ban.
A Washingtonia palm can therefore be prohibited for new planting by the Town while the county's default all-palms rule protects an existing six-foot-or-larger specimen, subject to the property-specific and state-law provisions. Town Section 46-145 County Section 58-813(a)(2)
County Section 58-809 says municipal ordinances prevail where provisions conflict, but neither that clause nor the Town's planting ban resolves this existing-palm question expressly. County Section 58-809 Town Section 46-145
Ask both offices to address the existing tree and the proposed activity before treating the planting ban, an invasive classification or a no-fee permit as an exemption from approval.
Who can apply for the tree permit?
The county requires enough information to establish ownership or authorization for the proposed work; the current Environmental Permit Application includes an owner certification and an agent/contractor authorization when someone represents the owner. County Section 58-813(b)(1)a Environmental application owner and agent certifications
For an association or company, identify the legal owner and the person authorized to act for it, rather than relying solely on a contractor's name. Have county staff confirm the appropriate signatures and uploaded authorization for the ownership structure.
When does Florida Statute 163.045 remove local permit requirements?
Florida Statute 163.045 applies only when the owner of qualifying residential property possesses the specified signed risk documentation showing that removal is the only practical means of mitigating the risk below moderate; the statute does not apply to delegated mangrove protection. Florida Statute 163.045(2) Florida Statute 163.045(4)
Qualifying residential property is a single-family detached building on a lot actively used for single-family residential purposes that is conforming or a legally recognized nonconforming use under local land-development regulations. Florida Statute 163.045(1)(b)
Documentation means an onsite assessment performed under Best Management Practices, Tree Risk Assessment, Second Edition (2017), by an ISA-certified arborist or a Florida-licensed landscape architect, signed by that professional. Florida Statute 163.045(1)(a)
With the owner possessing that documentation and the statutory risk finding satisfied, a local government may not require notice, application, approval, permit, fee or mitigation for pruning, trimming or removal. Florida Statute 163.045(2)
The statute also prohibits requiring replanting after removal in accordance with the section. Florida Statute 163.045(3)
Tree health alone is not this test. Ken's Tree Service does not sign this documentation itself, and this regional reference does not offer to arrange an assessment or work in Belleair Shore.
What are the penalties for unauthorized removal or a Town violation?
Under County Section 58-810(c), unauthorized removal or effective removal carries a tree-bank payment of $150 per DBH inch of the affected tree in addition to applicable replants; Ordinance No. 26-3's tree rewrite took effect January 23, 2026. County Section 58-810(c) Ordinance 26-3 effective date
County Section 58-810(b) imposes joint and several liability on people who caused or contributed to the violation and people with the specified legal, beneficial or equitable interests, including interests held at the time of the violation. County Section 58-810(b)
County remedies include replacement or tree-bank payment, withholding permits, stop-work orders and after-the-fact permitting only when applicable standards can be met; an after-the-fact application is not an approval. County Section 58-810(a)
Separately, where no specific Town penalty applies, Section 1-12(a) provides a court-imposed maximum $500 fine, up to 60 days imprisonment or both, with each continuing day a separate offense; the operative effective date for these inherited figures was not established from the published records checked October 5, 2026. Town Section 1-12(a)
The Town special-magistrate route allows up to $250 daily for a first violation after its compliance date, $500 daily for a repeat violation and up to $5,000 per irreparable or irreversible violation; Section 2-102's history cites Ordinance No. 2021-03 adopted October 19, 2021, but its effective clause was not located in the records checked October 5, 2026. Town Section 2-102(a)
Town Section 2-122 sets a maximum contested-citation penalty of $500 plus administrative costs; uncontested penalties instead depend on a Town resolution's schedule, whose current figures and effective instrument were not located in the posted code and records checked October 5, 2026. Town Section 2-122
Recorded Town special-magistrate fines can become liens against the affected land and other property, subject to the homestead foreclosure limitation; Town nuisance-service invoices are separate special-assessment liens under Section 18-37(a). Town Section 2-102(c) Town Section 18-37(a)
The zoning penalty cross-reference in Section 46-3 and the watercraft cross-reference in Section 30-83 still point to Section 1-13, although Section 1-13 is Reserved and its editor's note records repeal by Ordinance No. 2021-03, Section 2, adopted October 19, 2021. Town Section 46-3 Town Section 30-83 Town Section 1-13
That is a defect in the code's cross-references, not proof that all Town enforcement disappeared. Read the operative enforcement provisions rather than inventing a current fine from the repealed section.
What replacement trees and credits does the county require?
For permitted Grade 1, 2 and 3 removal, county replants are normally on the same site under Table 58-813(b), subject to the building-footprint exception and approved alternatives; Grade 0 has the separate no-replant rating rule. County Section 58-813(b)(4) County Section 58-813(b)(3), Poor rating
Removed DBH, inches | Grade 1 replants | Grade 2 replants | Grade 3 replants |
|---|---|---|---|
4 to 14 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
14.1 to 24 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
24.1 to 34 | 3 | 6 | 9 |
Greater than 34 | 4 | 8 | 12 |
Table authority: County Section 58-813(b)(4), Table 58-813(b).
The building-footprint exception removes replant obligations only where the trunk is within the proposed footprint, impacts are unavoidable and alternatives to removal are not feasible; it does not itself waive the permit. County Section 58-813(b)(4)a
In addition to required replants, the code calls for minimum landscape trees by lot size, with the rating table's conditions controlling when minimum landscaping applies. County Section 58-813(b)(4)b County Section 58-813(b)(3)a
Lot area, square feet | Minimum landscape trees |
|---|---|
2,500 or less | 1 |
2,501 to 5,000 | 2 |
5,001 to 7,500 | 3 |
7,501 to 10,000 | 4 |
Greater than 10,001, as printed | 4 plus one per 3,000; maximum 15 |
Table authority: County Section 138-3658(a)(1).
The printed minimum-lot table leaves an exact-10,001 question, and the decimal DBH bands leave intermediate measurement questions. Obtain the county's interpretation instead of supplying a rounding rule.
DBH band, inches | Preserved-tree landscape credit | Optional nuisance/invasive removal replant credit |
|---|---|---|
4 to 14 | 1 | 1 |
14.1 to 24 | 2 | 2 |
24.1 to 34 | 3 | 3 |
Greater than 34 | 4 | 4 |
Table authority: County Section 138-3658(a)(2) County Section 58-813(b)(5).
Nuisance/invasive removal credits apply only where removal is not otherwise required under Section 138-3653, and the removed invasive trees must be maintained against regrowth. County Section 58-813(b)(5)
A replant combined with at least two other native plant species in a native community at least ten feet in diameter centered on that tree earns double replant credit when planting quantity achieves 80 percent coverage within one year. County Section 58-813(b)(4)c
When onsite replanting is not feasible, the county may allow a tree-bank contribution; other alternatives include transplanting under the same ownership and written-permission planting or transplanting in association common areas or qualifying other sites. County Section 58-813(b)(6)
The January 20, 2026 fee-resolution attachment sets tree-bank replacement rates at $300 per required tree for single-family, duplex and triplex lots and $500 for commercial or multifamily lots; minutes record adoption as Resolution No. 26-2, effective immediately upon adoption. Resolution 26-2, XI-D Resolution 26-2, XI-E January 20, 2026 adoption minutes Resolution 26-2 effective clause
For minimum single-family landscaping, the separate alternative contribution is limited to 40 percent of the landscape-tree requirement; written association permission or county-approved equivalent shade structures are other possible alternatives. County Section 138-3658(b)
Replant feature | Codified minimum or limit |
|---|---|
Quality and species | Florida Grade No. 1 or better; approved species, no invasive plants |
Native composition | At least 60 percent of the tree species must be native varieties |
Tree size | At least 1.5 inches DBH per stem and six feet overall; DBH subject to the county shortage adjustment |
Species diversity | One additional species for every ten trees |
Small trees | No more than 25 percent |
Palms | At least six feet overall; no more than 25 percent |
Table authority: County Section 58-814, replant standards.
During a market shortage, the county administrator or designee may reduce required replant DBH to the largest available Florida Grade No. 1 equivalent through Chapter 138's variance, waiver and administrative-adjustment provisions. County Section 58-814(b)(2)
The county's approved-species webpage additionally states that palms need at least 12 feet of clear trunk for replacement credit, whereas Section 58-814 states a six-foot overall-height minimum; obtain the county's permit-specific interpretation rather than treating the page as a rewrite of the code. Approved-species palm guidance County Section 58-814, palm replant standard
Permit-required plant material must meet nursery installation and maintenance standards, and a replant dying during establishment must be replaced within 30 days. County Section 58-813(b)(7)
What if you manage commercial property, an association or a prior landscape plan?
A commercial, multifamily, institutional or association common-area project cannot use the detached-residence homestead paragraph merely because it is in Belleair Shore; the Town's single-family district also does not authorize a new nonresidential use. County Section 58-813(a)(3) Town Section 46-102
The Town preserves qualifying lawful nonconforming uses under Section 46-2; whether a particular use is lawful requires its own records, not an assumption that commercial uses exist here. Town Section 46-2
Florida Statute 163.045's residential-property definition does not cover a commercial site, multifamily building, institutional site or association common area that lacks the qualifying detached building and active single-family use. Florida Statute 163.045(1)(b)
Current nonresidential application fees remain a published-material conflict, detailed in the application section; no settled current amount is asserted. The commercial/multifamily tree-bank rate is the separate replacement payment stated in the replacement section.
Where county landscaping requirements apply through a permit or operative standard, Section 138-3651 requires maintaining approved landscaping and replacing missing required plants with the same or similar material unless replacement is shown infeasible or without functional value; improvement review can require proportionate landscape compliance. County Section 138-3651
Ask the county and Town to compare the actual approved landscape plan and proposed changes before applying for removal. No express standalone Town tree-plan amendment procedure was found in the Town code, and this guide does not treat a prior approval as optional.
County Section 58-813 incorporates minimum landscaping standards from Sections 138-3658 and 138-3659; this does not establish that every unincorporated-county zoning standard independently applies in the Town. County Section 58-813(b)(3)a
Conditional nonresidential/multifamily tree standard | County Section 138-3659 requirement |
|---|---|
Surface parking perimeter | At least five feet wide; three trees per 100 linear feet |
Parking with more than ten spaces | Interior islands every 24 spaces on average and terminal islands at row ends |
Parking island | At least eight feet wide and 150 square feet planting area; one tree per 150 square feet or fraction above half, minimum one |
Parking with more than 250 spaces | Specified divider medians at least four feet wide; three trees per 100 linear feet |
Street-facing fence or wall | Three trees per 100 linear feet or fraction; may combine with perimeter planting |
Table authority: County Section 138-3659(a)(1) and (2) County Section 138-3659(a)(4)a.
These conditional county standards do not authorize a nonresidential use. Ask the county and Town about the remaining hedge, fence, foundation and groundcover requirements without substituting county zoning for Town zoning.
The nonresidential landscape section allows approved common-area planting, tree-bank contribution or county-approved equivalent shade/vegetation structures as alternatives to onsite material. County Section 138-3659(b)
What changes when you build a pool, demolish a house or clear a site?
County Chapter 166 treats construction, demolition, clearing, grubbing, vegetation scraping and ground disturbance as development, subject to its definition's routine-lawn exception; separate habitat permitting can reach preliminary clearing or alteration on developed and undeveloped sites. County Section 166-36, Development definition County Section 166-81(a)
A Town pool needs its building permit, and demolition of a building or structure needs its demolition permit; neither Town provision replaces the county's protected-tree authorization. Town Section 6-34 Town Section 6-36 County Section 58-813(b)
The county can withhold building or environmental permits, inspections or certificates of occupancy until Chapter 166 conditions are met. County Section 166-45
Preliminary clearing of designated road, drainage or utility corridors on a site plan may proceed only under the county's specified review/no-objection condition, without revisions affecting retained vegetation locations. County Section 166-82(b)
A Chapter 166 application may require lot/improvement drawings, a vegetation-protection diagram, easements/setbacks, a topographical survey sealed by a registered engineer or surveyor unless grade changes are limited beneath the dwelling floor, nearby habitat locations, and species/size replacement plans. County Section 166-83(b)
Required site plans also need existing-protected, impacted and replacement-vegetation tabulations; the applicant must state when no protected vegetation lies on or within ten feet and no protected preservation area lies within 50 feet of the site. County Section 166-83(c) and (d)
A county tree survey is prepared by a qualified professional; the county definition includes certified arborists, certified landscape architects, professional foresters, professional wetland scientists and similarly trained/experienced people, not solely the state-law risk-report credential. County Section 58-807, Qualified professional definition County Section 58-807, Tree survey definition
Chapter 166's criteria address habitat, soil, water and other environmental impacts; its diseased-tree or approved-improvement exceptions allow evaluation criteria to be waived, not automatic permit exemption. County Section 166-83(f)
A tree permit normally expires 90 days after issuance unless noted otherwise, with written extension requests; the habitat permit separately expires if authorized activity has not begun within 90 days or is interrupted more than 60 days, subject to its extension provisions. County Section 58-813(b)(8)a County Section 166-86
How must trees and wetlands be protected during construction?
Before development starts, Chapter 166 requires protective barriers and placards around protected vegetation, retained until county authorization or completion of final grading and groundcover; construction protection is not supplied by a separate Town tree-protection chapter. County Section 166-49(b)
Solvents, materials, machinery and temporary soil deposits must stay outside six feet or two-thirds of the dripline, whichever is greater, around retained trees at least four inches DBH, and outside the specified six-foot area for other protected vegetation. County Section 166-49(a)
Barriers must be substantial, attachments to protected vegetation are restricted and vegetation removal inside barriers needs departmental approval; excessive root pruning can also constitute effective removal. County Section 166-49(b) County Section 58-807, Effective removal definition
County preconstruction inspections check protective/erosion controls, and final inspection precedes certificate-of-occupancy approval; permit conditions can also require surviving-tree and replant inspections. County Section 166-84 County Section 58-813(b)(8)d and e
Individual single-family lots are exempt from Chapter 166 wetland-buffer requirements, but replats and subdivisions are not; the exemption is for buffers, not unrestricted wetland clearing. County Section 166-50(a)(3) County Section 166-50(b)
Wetland-buffer type | Minimum width when required |
|---|---|
Type 1, isolated wetland | 15 feet |
Type 2, connected creek/channel/ditch/canal/waterway not designated preservation | 15 feet outside top of bank or contiguous wetland, whichever is greater |
Type 3, county-approved retention pond adjacent to wetlands serving the buffer purpose | 15 feet from wetland edge to pond top of bank |
Type 4, other wetlands | 50 feet without enhancement; 25 feet with enhancement |
Table authority: County Section 166-50(a), Table 166-50.a.
Required buffers are recorded conservation easements and shown/preserved on site plans; enhanced buffers require appropriate native wetland planting and protective improvements, and averaging may reduce portions to 15 feet while maintaining the required overall average, subject to the livestock-district restriction. County Section 166-50(a)(1) and (2) County Section 166-50(a)(6)
Buffer restrictions include structures/utilities, exotic planting, unauthorized native-vegetation mowing or trimming, filling, excavation, livestock, storage and harmful chemicals. County Section 166-50(a)(7)
Wetland vegetation cannot be removed, trimmed, pruned, chemically treated, filled or altered without a permit or exemption; approved Water and Navigation removal has the stated separate-permit exception, and other regulated impacts require equivalent-habitat-value mitigation. County Section 166-50(b)
Do not assume a mangrove stand or mapped wetland exists on a Town lot. Site-specific identification and the applicable permit conditions determine which of these protections matter.
What should a construction or vegetation-work contract account for?
County liability can extend to a contractor who causes or contributes to unlawful removal as well as the interested owner; Chapter 166 also authorizes cease-and-desist enforcement. County Section 58-810(b) County Section 166-88
Town Section 6-1 authorizes a mayor or building official stop-work order for noncompliance with the building chapter or its proper orders, and requires daily cleanup with debris contained against adjoining property, beach and easement incursions. Town Section 6-1(5)
The Town's current services page makes hired contractors responsible for debris removal; for owner/renter yard waste it specifies bundled four-foot sections weighing less than 50 pounds, a collection rule rather than a recommendation to cut a tree. Contractor debris responsibility Owner/renter tree-waste collection
The posted Town pre-permit form states that subcontractors must be insured and calls for plans/drawings to scale and a survey for its building-services provider; it does not expressly name tree-only work. Town pre-permit insurance statement Town pre-permit plan submission
Before accepting a tree-related construction bid, ask who supplies the permit-specific survey, owner authorization, protection barriers, inspection coordination and debris removal. The reviewed Town code contains no tree-contractor-specific credential or insurance standard; general building, professional-report and permit requirements are separate, and the pre-permit form's application to tree-only work remains unconfirmed.
How do you apply, and what does the permit cost?
Apply through Pinellas County's Tree Removal/Habitat Permit process, but a reliable current October 2026 application-fee amount could not be established from the conflicting published fee materials; the code requires the Board of County Commissioners' adopted fee, not a fee inferred from a brochure. County Section 58-813(b)(1) County application process
The January 20 fee-resolution attachment lists $50 for single-family/duplex/triplex and $265 for commercial/multifamily applications, while the FY27 proposed-budget publication shows $290 in its FY26 adopted commercial/multifamily column and $265 in its FY27 column; obtain the current adopted schedule rather than treating that proposed publication as enactment. Resolution attachment XI-B Resolution attachment XI-C FY27 proposed budget, page 434, XI-C
Current development fee amounts and their operative effective dates were not established in the posted materials reviewed October 5, 2026. Tree-bank replacement contributions are a separate charge.
The Town's posted pre-permit form calls for $500 before submission to its building-services provider, while Resolution No. 2022-08 sets $500 per site-plan review and became effective immediately on its November 1, 2022 adoption; neither text expressly establishes whether tree-only county applications need this Town step. Town pre-permit payment Resolution 2022-08, Section 2 Resolution 2022-08, Section 5 Resolution 2022-08 adoption date
Obtain the Town Clerk's dated written answer before adding that charge to a tree-only application. It is not described here as a tree-permit fee.
The county's current application process begins with jurisdiction verification, portal account creation and the Develop application workflow, selecting Tree Removal/Habitat Permit and uploading the completed environmental application plus supporting site information. County application steps
Confirm the parcel's jurisdiction and ask the Town whether its pre-permit certification applies to the specific work.
Use the Pinellas County permit portal and the county's named Tree Removal/Habitat Permit workflow.
Complete the current Environmental Permit Application, including the owner certification and agent/contractor authorization when applicable.
Upload the site plan or survey and tree/structure information requested by the county; include the permit-specific survey, assessment and protection/replant plans when required.
Confirm the current application/development fee, inspections, authorization conditions and any separate Town or right-of-way step with the responsible offices before work.
The current environmental application lists Building and Development Review Services at 440 Court Street, Clearwater, FL 33756, telephone 727-464-3888 and BDRSEnvGroup@pinellas.gov. Environmental application department contact
The county habitat page publishes the Tree Desk at 727-464-3480 and treepermit@pinellas.gov; the newer tree-code page publishes treepermits@pinellas.gov and 727-464-3888, so the singular and plural addresses should not be silently treated as identical. County Tree Desk contact County tree-code contact
The Town Clerk's office lists 727-593-9296, clerk@belleairshore.com and PO Box 8, Indian Rocks Beach, FL 33785; the form's older Gmail address differs, so use the current Town website address for process confirmation. Town Clerk contact Older pre-permit email
Town building permit fees follow county-adopted building fees under Section 6-33, while the seawall provision points to the Town construction schedule; neither is a published Town tree-fee schedule. Town Section 6-33 Town Section 6-103(c)
Which office hears an appeal or variance?
County tree adjustments, waivers and variances follow Chapter 138 Article II Division 7; Type 1 environmental decisions go first to the county Board of Adjustment and Appeals, not the Town commission. County Section 58-811 County Section 138-77, Type 1 appeal table
A county administrative appeal must be filed in writing with the responsible department within 15 calendar days after rendition of the written, dated, executed decision; an adopted filing fee applies. County Section 134-14(f)(3) and (4)
Circuit-court review under the county provision requires first filing the administrative appeal and being denied relief, then filing within 30 calendar days of the final adverse decision. County Section 134-14(f)(9)
For the Town's own requirements, a land or structure owner may request a written variance from the Town Clerk, but no use variance is considered; the code's $150 nonrefundable application amount has no verified originating effective date in the published records checked October 5, 2026. Town Section 46-81(a) and (b)
A person aggrieved by the Town commission's decision may seek circuit-court relief in Pinellas County within 30 days after rendition; this Town deadline is not the county tree-appeal deadline. Town Section 46-86
Where do county guidance and the code disagree?
The county habitat page describes unincorporated Pinellas County as including Belleair Shore, but the Town Charter establishes a municipality; county permit coverage does not turn the Town into unincorporated land. County habitat-page jurisdiction wording Town Charter 1.01
That page still directs readers to Chapter 138 landscaping and Chapter 166, while the current protected-tree permitting rule is in Chapter 58 Article XIX; the current code is the authority for that rule. County habitat-page code references County Section 58-813(b)
The other published differences are kept beside the rules they qualify: exactly-six-foot palms, the 12-foot-clear-trunk replant webpage, application-fee publications and the Town form's older email. None is resolved by selecting the easiest government webpage wording.
How do you know a parcel is actually in Belleair Shore?
The Town's home page places it four miles south of Clearwater Beach and one mile west of Belleair Bluffs; the Charter's eastern boundary is the west right-of-way line of Gulf Boulevard, and its plat name Belleair Beach Unit No. 1 is not a City of Belleair Beach jurisdiction determination. Town location Town Charter 2.01
The county Address Lookup Tool identifies whether an address is in unincorporated Pinellas or a municipality and identifies service providers; use that result with the Property Appraiser parcel/tax-district record rather than a mailing-city name. County Address Lookup Tool
For related reading only, see the unincorporated Pinellas County guide, Belleair Bluffs guide, Indian Rocks Beach guide and Town of Belleair guide. None substitutes for the sources governing a Belleair Shore parcel.
What about a tree in the parkway or Gulf Boulevard right-of-way?
Town Section 18-32 makes the owner or agent responsible for the adjoining parkway from the lot line to Gulf Boulevard's western pavement edge, as well as the contiguous beach west of the seawall; maintenance responsibility is not ownership or removal authorization. Town Section 18-32
County Section 58-809 excludes county-maintained right-of-way from the private-property article but requires an approved permit before removal there; Section 166-54 requires its stated right-of-way utilization permit or county-administrator authorization and compensation. County Section 58-809 County Section 166-54
The January 20, 2026 Town minutes say the right-of-way tree violation was being managed by Pinellas County. January 20 Town right-of-way minutes
This research did not establish a definitive road-owner/maintainer record or parcel-specific parkway boundary for the Gulf Boulevard segment. Ask the Town and county to identify the surveyed right-of-way, responsible authority, permit and utility coordination before treating that strip as ordinary private planting area.
The Town nuisance process separately covers unkempt trees and vegetation: complaint and inspection, hearing/notice, then a directive allowing 30 days to remedy the nuisance before the specified further action. Town Section 18-31 Town Section 18-34 Town Section 18-35 Town Section 18-36
A Town nuisance directive does not expressly replace the county protected-tree permit. Have both offices reconcile the proposed remedy before removal.
What about mangroves, dunes and work hours?
Mangrove trimming and alteration are governed separately by County Chapter 58 Article XVI throughout incorporated and unincorporated areas; its exemptions, permits and professional-trimmer requirements must be checked for the actual proposed work. County Section 58-603 County Section 58-605(d) County Section 58-608(g) and (h)
In coastal high-hazard and Coastal A Zones, Town application plans must show proposed dune/mangrove alteration as applicable, engineering analysis must be signed and sealed by a Florida-licensed engineer, and approval requires Florida Department of Environmental Protection approval plus a demonstration that flood-damage potential will not increase. Town Section 38-61(6) Town Section 38-62 Town Section 38-93
The state Coastal Construction Control Line program regulates activities that can destabilize beach/dune systems and protects dune vegetation; site-specific coastal authorization questions belong with that state program. State coastal-construction program
Town Section 18-71(b) prohibits its listed erection, excavation/land-clearing, demolition, alteration and repair activities from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays and throughout Sunday and the named holidays, except urgent public-health/safety necessity during a declared local state of emergency; it does not expressly classify ordinary tree work. Town Section 18-71(b)
The holidays listed are New Year's Day, December 25, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day and Thanksgiving Day. Ask the Town whether the proposed tree activity falls within the listed work; do not add a Saturday prohibition that the subsection does not state.
What does the Town's codified code not say?
Whole-code searches of the Town's 366-document Supplement 8 export found no standalone tree-removal or pruning permit, protected-tree threshold, adoption/exemption from the county tree ordinance, Town tree-permit fee, tree-specific construction barricade standard, tree-contractor-specific credential standard or reference to Florida Statute 163.045. These are findings about this codified export, not assurances about every uncodified instrument or permit condition.
The Town code does contain planting, hedge, nuisance, floodplain, construction and general enforcement provisions discussed here. The absence of a Town tree article does not mean the county tree rule is absent.
Which current records or answers were not found?
On October 5, 2026, the Town Code page, posted minutes and scanned June/July/September packets supplied no identified new tree-law amendment, but the October 20 agenda remained coming soon and final September 21 minutes were not posted. Town agendas Town minutes
The county's October 13 agenda supplied no identified relevant amendment; the October 8 workshop agenda was unavailable, so unpublished business cannot be cleared. County calendar
The Town's building-services pages, posted pre-permit form and Resolution No. 2022-08 did not supply a dated written answer establishing whether tree-only county permits need Town pre-certification. The road-owner/maintainer and parcel-specific parkway boundary also remain unresolved; no Town reply or parcel survey was obtained.
The January fee-resolution attachment and FY27 proposed-budget publication did not establish one reliable current application/development fee schedule and effective instrument. Confirm the adopted schedule with the county before relying on an amount.
Sources and scope
This guide distinguishes the Town's own code from county tree protection and linked government guidance. Unposted proceedings, unresolved fees and unconfirmed process questions are not treated as settled authorizations.
What does this mean for your tree or project?
A tree may be a candidate for removal or pruning, but the county decides the protected-tree permit and the Town decides its own planting, nuisance, construction and coastal requirements. Ask those offices about the tree or project, and send parcel maps and plans to them rather than to the chat.
Ken's Tree Service has worked since 1996 from Tarpon Springs, across approximately 20 miles covering north Pinellas County, west Pasco County and the northwest corner of Hillsborough County.
This Belleair Shore guide is a regional reference, not an offer to perform work or an assessment there. For projects within our service area, our number is 727-934-5804; for questions about the code discussed here, start a conversation with our website agent, the chat on this page.