How to Get a Tree Removal Permit in Pinellas County, Florida
By Forest, Ken's Tree Service. Published September 20, 2026. Verified against the codified Pinellas County Code, Chapter 58, Article XIX, and Florida Statutes 163.045.
If your property is in unincorporated Pinellas County, the permit you need to remove a protected tree is called a Habitat Permit. That is the first thing that sends people in circles. The county files tree removal under habitat permitting, so searching the county site for a tree removal permit turns up very little, while the page you actually need is titled Apply for a Tree Removal/Habitat Permit.
The second thing is that the rules changed recently. The county consolidated tree protection into Chapter 58, Article XIX of the county code, adopted January 20, 2026 as Ordinance 26-3 and effective January 23, 2026. Most guidance published before that date describes rules that no longer apply, including some of the county's own pages. If something you read elsewhere does not match what follows, that is the likely reason.
Which trees are protected
Under Section 58-813(a) of the current code, a tree permit is required to remove, effectively remove, or transplant:
Any tree with a diameter at breast height (DBH) of four inches or larger, measured at four and a half feet above the ground
All palms six feet in height or larger, regardless of species
There is one large exception for homesteaded property, covered next, and two categories that run on separate tracks: mangroves and buttonwood, and anything in the county right-of-way. Both are further down.
How to measure your own tree in about thirty seconds
Diameter is measured at four and a half feet above the ground, which is why you will see it written as DBH, for diameter at breast height. You do not need a special tool. Put a tape measure around the trunk at that height to get the circumference, then divide by 3.14. That is your diameter.
A trunk measuring 13 inches around is roughly 4 inches in diameter, which is the threshold. A trunk measuring 63 inches around is roughly 20 inches in diameter.
The homestead exception, which changes the answer for most homeowners
On residential property with a homestead exemption from the Pinellas County Property Appraiser, with an existing single-family detached residence actively used for single-family residential purposes, only trees greater than 24 inches DBH are protected.
That is a very large difference. On a qualifying homesteaded house, a 20-inch oak is not a protected tree. On the identical lot next door without that status, the same tree is.
Every part of that rule is doing work. The exemption has to be on file with the county Property Appraiser. The residence has to be detached, so a homesteaded townhouse or villa does not qualify. It has to already exist, so a lot being cleared for construction does not qualify. And it has to be actively used as a single-family residence, which the county explains as not vacant, not rented, and not being demolished for redevelopment. A rental house in a single-family neighborhood does not get the exception, even though it looks exactly like the house beside it that does.
Palms: the rule changed in January 2026
Every palm six feet or taller is protected, regardless of species.
That is worth stating plainly, because it is a change and because the old rule is still widely repeated. Under the previous county code, only sabal palms, also called cabbage palms, were protected, and other palm species were not. The January 2026 ordinance dropped the species restriction. Section 58-813(a)(2) now protects all palms six feet in height or larger, with no species named. A queen palm, a washingtonia, a pygmy date palm: if it is six feet or taller, it is a protected tree in unincorporated Pinellas County.
If a landscaper or a tree service tells you that palms other than sabals do not need a permit, they are describing the rule as it stood before January 23, 2026, or they are describing a city rule rather than the county's. The City of Dunedin, for one, still protects only cabbage and sabal palms and exempts every other species, so the same crew can be right in one jurisdiction and wrong a mile away.
One wording difference is worth knowing. The definitions section, 58-807, says all palms more than six feet in height. The protected trees list, 58-813(a)(2), says six feet in height or larger. A palm that is exactly six feet is covered by the protection list and not by the definition. Where the two differ, the protection list is the operative one.
Palms on a homesteaded property
Palms are trees under the ordinance, so the homestead threshold applies to a palm the same way it applies to an oak. On a qualifying homesteaded property, only trees over 24 inches DBH are protected, and very few palms in Pinellas County reach 24 inches of trunk diameter.
The county has not published a worked example of that combination. If a palm is unusually large, or the property's homestead status is not clear cut, get the county's answer in writing before anything is cut. The Tree Desk is (727) 464-3480 or [email protected].
The state law route that can replace the county permit entirely
Florida Statutes 163.045 is a statewide path that sits above the county ordinance. A local government may not require notice, application, approval, permit, fee or mitigation to prune, trim or remove a tree on residential property when the owner holds documentation from an ISA Certified Arborist or a Florida licensed landscape architect that the tree poses an unacceptable risk to persons or property. It also may not require replanting afterward.
The standard is narrow. Removal has to be the only means of practically mitigating the tree's risk below moderate, determined under the tree risk assessment procedures in Best Management Practices, Tree Risk Assessment, Second Edition (2017). The assessment has to be performed on site and signed by the certified arborist or the licensed landscape architect.
The scope limits matter as much as the exemption. The statute defines residential property as a single-family detached building on a lot actively used for single-family residential purposes, and either a conforming use or a legally recognized nonconforming use. It does not reach commercial property, HOA common areas, multifamily or institutional sites. It does not reach mangroves either, because the statute expressly excludes delegated mangrove protection, which is the authority Pinellas County holds.
Said plainly, because it is where homeowners get talked into trouble: this path is not available for a structurally sound tree. Branches touching a roof or a service drop are a pruning problem, not automatically an unacceptable risk, and an honest assessment will usually say so. Reaching for the statute on a healthy tree is how a straightforward removal turns into a code violation.
Where a tree genuinely does meet that standard, the signed report is something we arrange as part of the job. You are not sent off to find an arborist on your own.
Removal covers more than cutting a tree down
A permit is required to remove, effectively remove, or transplant a protected tree. The code defines effective removal as removing branches, foliage or stems to an extent that the tree's natural function and form is severely impacted, and states that this includes topping, defoliating, or excessive root pruning.
That has a practical consequence. Cutting roots for a driveway, a pool or a utility trench can require a permit even though the tree is still standing when the crew leaves.
Routine pruning is not regulated. The county states that no permit is required for routine tree trimming or pruning, and that pruning should follow ANSI A300 standards to avoid compliance issues caused by excessive pruning or effective removal. Proper pruning needs no permit. Abusive pruning is treated as though the tree had been removed, and penalized that way.
A permit application is not an automatic approval
This is the part that changes what a removal actually costs, and it is missing from most explanations of the county rules.
Once an application is in, the tree is rated 0 through 3 under Table 58-813(a). County staff perform the rating, or an applicant may pay a qualified professional to prepare one, with the county making the final determination.
Grade 0, poor. Dead or dying, a nuisance or invasive species, or a condition rating below 40 percent. May be removed with an approved permit, and no replacement trees are required.
Grade 1, fair. Condition rating 40 to 59 percent. May be removed with an approved permit, and replacement trees are required.
Grade 2, good. Condition rating 60 to 79 percent. May be removed only where the tree interferes with proposed or existing improvements, interferes with underground or overhead utilities, or poses a threat to public health, safety or welfare as verified by county staff.
Grade 3, excellent. Condition rating 80 percent or above, which also captures historically significant trees, unusual or rare species, hardwoods over 36 inches DBH and softwoods under 20 inches DBH that would otherwise be grade 2. May be removed only where the tree prevents development of or access to a lot, interferes with utilities, or removal is necessary to protect public health, safety or welfare as verified by county staff.
A healthy tree is not removable on request. That is the single most consequential thing in the ordinance for anyone planning a project around a tree.
Replacement counts scale with size and grade under Table 58-813(b). A tree between 14.1 and 24 inches DBH owes 2 replants at grade 1, 4 at grade 2 and 6 at grade 3. Above 34 inches DBH it is 4, 8 and 12. Replant trees have to be at least 1.5 inches DBH and 6 feet tall at inspection, at least 60 percent of them native, and drawn from the county's approved species list.
Where replanting on site is not feasible, the published alternatives include a monetary contribution to a tree mitigation fund at a rate set by the Board of County Commissioners, transplanting on the same site, or planting on another site under the same ownership.
Two conditions to plan around. A tree removal permit expires 90 days from the date of issuance unless the permit says otherwise, and extensions are requested in writing. And the county may require a final inspection to verify that protected trees remained and that required replants went in.
Invasive species: no fee, but still a permit
Removing a listed nuisance or invasive species still requires a permit. It is issued at no fee, which is why the requirement gets forgotten, but the application still has to go in before the saw comes out.
The list is Section 138-3653 of the Land Development Code, published by the county as the Undesirable Plant Species List, in two tiers.
Tier 1 may not be planted in Pinellas County at all, and has to be removed as part of site development or new construction to the greatest extent practicable: Australian pine, Brazilian pepper, carrotwood, catclaw mimosa, Chinese privet, Chinese tallow, punk tree (melaleuca) and shoebutton ardisia. Existing one, two and three family dwellings in residential districts RA through R-5 are exempt from that mandatory removal requirement.
Tier 2 may be planted and may remain, but earns no landscaping credit: citrus, ear, eucalyptus, ficus, jacaranda, mimosa, Norfolk Island pine, royal poinciana, silk oak and trumpet tree, plus the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council Category I and II lists.
There is an incentive worth knowing about. Removing a nuisance or invasive tree that you were not otherwise required to remove earns credit against replanting you owe elsewhere, under Table 58-813(c): one credit for a 4 to 14 inch tree, rising to four credits above 34 inches. Taking out a large Brazilian pepper can reduce what you have to plant back after removing something else. Invasive trees removed that way have to be maintained to prevent regrowth.
And here is where a common belief is justified. On a qualifying homesteaded property, only trees over 24 inches DBH are protected at all, so a Brazilian pepper with a 12-inch trunk there is not a protected tree and there is nothing to permit. That is the ordinary residential case. It is true because of the homestead threshold, not because the tree is invasive. Change either fact, a rental property or a 30-inch trunk, and the answer changes.
Mangroves and buttonwood are handled somewhere else
The ordinance sweeps any mangrove or buttonwood specimen into its definition of a tree, but mangroves do not run through the tree permit process. The county regulates them through its Division of Environmental Management under delegated authority from Florida's Mangrove Trimming and Preservation Act. The state law route described above does not reach them either, because the statute expressly excludes delegated mangrove protection.
If mangroves are involved, that is a different permit and a different conversation. Start with the county's environmental management staff rather than the tree desk.
What removing a protected tree without a permit costs
Section 58-810(c) sets the penalty at $150.00 per DBH inch of the affected tree, paid into the county's tree bank fund, and states that replant requirements still apply on top of it. On a 20-inch tree, the penalty calculation is $3,000, before any replanting.
The county does not need the stump to establish size. The code allows DBH to be determined from surveys, field inspections, interpretation of aerial imagery, or statistical analysis of similar trees on adjacent properties.
Two provisions catch people out. Liability under 58-810(b) is joint and several and reaches anyone who held a legal, beneficial or equitable interest in the property at any time during which the violation existed, so it does not disappear when the property is sold. And while a violation is unresolved, the county may withhold or reject other permits on the site, issue a stop work order, or issue an after-the-fact permit subject to after-the-fact fees.
How to apply
Applications go through the Pinellas County Access Portal. The county's published sequence:
Confirm your property is in unincorporated Pinellas County, Belleair Bluffs or Belleair Shore, using the county's address lookup tool
Create an account or log into the Access Portal
Select Develop, then Create an Application
Read and accept the terms, then continue
For license type, select None Applicable if you are applying as a homeowner
Scroll down and select Tree Removal/Habitat Permit
Complete the application
Upload your documents
Two uploads are required: the Habitat and Tree Management Permit Application, and a site plan or survey showing where the tree is located. If you do not have a survey or site plan, ask the county what level of sketch or plan it will accept for your scope before you file.
Four things the county states that save time:
You do not need to hire an arborist to apply, though you may choose to.
You may authorize a tree service to apply on your behalf. The application package includes an authorization form signed by the property owner and the authorized party.
The county will not come out to tell you whether a permit is required before you apply. Staff do not perform pre-application site visits.
The permit comes back by email once approved, and the county specifically suggests checking your spam folder.
Questions on an application go to [email protected]. If your address is protected from public record, call (727) 464-3888 rather than applying online.
What it costs and how long it takes
The county does not publish a dollar figure for a residential tree permit. Fees are established in the annual operating budget adopted by the Board of County Commissioners, and the county asks applicants to request an estimate by emailing [email protected] with the property address, the size and approximate location of the tree, and the reason for removal. Additional mitigation costs can apply depending on the tree.
On timing, the county publishes an inspection benchmark rather than a decision deadline: once a complete application is received, staff typically conduct an initial site inspection within one to two business days. Make sure the site is accessible, pets are secured, and the trees proposed for removal are clearly marked. If more information or mitigation is required, that comes back by email through the county's Accela system.
Two places the county's own website will send you wrong
Worth knowing before you spend an afternoon reading county pages.
The county's tree code page correctly explains that the rules moved into Chapter 58 as of January 23, 2026. But the habitat permit page still directs residents to Chapter 138 Division 3 and Chapter 166, and its residential FAQ still cites Section 138-3654 as the section that defines protected trees. In the current codified code, Section 138-3654 reads Reserved. It governs nothing. The same page's sidebar links a street trees section, 138-3657, which is also now reserved.
That does not mean Chapter 138 disappeared. Section 138-3653 is live and is the nuisance and invasive species list, and Chapter 58 Article XIX cross-references Chapter 138 for procedure, for approved replant species at 138-3664, and for minimum landscaping at 138-3658 and 138-3659. Read Chapter 58 Article XIX first for whether a permit is required, then use the county's application page for process.
If your address is inside a city
Section 58-809 says the article applies to property within the incorporated and unincorporated areas of the county, excluding county-maintained right-of-way, and that where its provisions conflict with a municipal ordinance, the municipal ordinance prevails. The displacement is conflict by conflict rather than wholesale: a city ordinance beats the county rule where the two actually conflict.
Pinellas County has 24 incorporated municipalities. Two points of precision. Palm Harbor, East Lake, Crystal Beach and Ozona are unincorporated, so the county rules above are the ones that apply, despite having their own names and their own post offices. Belleair Bluffs and Belleair Shore are incorporated, and the county's application page names them alongside unincorporated county as using the county process.
Everywhere else, check your own city. If you are in Dunedin, we have written up what the City of Dunedin requires for a tree removal permit separately, because its threshold, its fee, its palm rule and its penalty are all its own. For other cities, the county publishes a directory of municipal building departments.
Use the county's address lookup tool if you are not certain which you are in. Plenty of people who say they live in Clearwater or Tarpon Springs are at an unincorporated address, and the answer changes completely.
Trees in the county right-of-way
A tree in county-maintained right-of-way, typically the strip between the sidewalk and the street, sits outside the reach of the tree ordinance, but that does not make it free to remove. Section 58-809 states that no trees shall be removed from county-maintained right-of-way without an approved permit, and the route for that is a Right-of-Way Utilization Permit. The tree in front of your house may not be on your property in the way you assume.
What the county does not publish
Stated plainly, because knowing where the published answers stop is useful.
No dollar amount for a residential tree permit. The fee mechanism is published; the number is not.
No decision timeline. The one to two business day figure is the initial site inspection after a complete application, not an approval.
No worked example of a palm on a homesteaded property, and nothing on how the definitions section and the protected trees list interact at exactly six feet.
For all three, the Tree Desk at (727) 464-3480 or [email protected] is where the answer comes from.
Where this leaves you
Three answers tell you which threshold applies to your property: whether the address is unincorporated, what the trunk measures at four and a half feet, and whether the property is homesteaded with an owner-occupied detached house on it.
If the tree is protected and healthy, the grade 2 and grade 3 criteria are the next thing to look at, because a sound tree needs a reason the county will verify. If the tree is genuinely hazardous, the state law route above can remove the permit question entirely. And sometimes the answer is pruning rather than removal, which is a different question from the one a permit application asks, and what a proper assessment looks at is not the same as what the county reviews.
Ask our agent about your specific property. It will ask the questions that actually change the answer, your jurisdiction and your homestead status and the tree's condition, and it will tell you plainly when something is not published rather than guessing at it. If you would like someone to come out and look at the tree, it can take your address and a callback number and pass those to our team.
Ken's Tree Service works within about 20 miles of Tarpon Springs, covering north Pinellas County, west Pasco County and the northwest corner of Hillsborough County.
Sources
Pinellas County Code, Chapter 58, Article XIX, Tree Protection, as codified
Florida Statutes 163.045, tree pruning, trimming or removal on residential property
Pinellas County, New Tree Regulations in Effect Jan. 23, 2026
Pinellas County, Habitat Permit and Environmental Compliance, including the residential FAQ
Pinellas County, Undesirable Plant Species List, Table 138-3653.a
Verified September 20, 2026 against the codified Pinellas County Code, Chapter 58, Article XIX, the county's tree code, habitat permit and application pages, and Florida Statutes 163.045. Ordinances and fees change. This article explains the county's published rules and is not a determination about any specific tree. Only the county can tell you whether your tree requires a permit.