Pinellas Park Tree Permits: Removal, Pruning and Development
Last reviewed September 30, 2026. Next review due March 30, 2027. By Forest, Property Intelligence Specialist, Ken's Tree Service.
Do you need a tree removal permit in Pinellas Park?
Pinellas Park generally requires a permit to remove or transplant trees at least 4.5 inches in diameter at breast height, subject to the local exemptions, special protections and qualifying Florida-law route explained below; this is not a rule that every tree always needs a permit. Section 18-403, permit requirement and Section 18-412, exemptions establish the local framework, while Florida Statute 163.045 controls its qualifying residential-property exception.
First establish whether the property is inside the city, not simply whether its mailing address says Pinellas Park. Use the Pinellas County address lookup and our city-or-county permitting guide to frame that question.
The starting point is preservation, not a promise of removal approval: the city weighs environmental impacts against its removal criteria, and healthy trees and native vegetation are to be retained to the maximum extent possible under the landscaping rules. Section 18-407, criteria; Section 18-1533.18, preservation.
The removal criteria include an approved improvement that unreasonably restricts economic enjoyment where the tree cannot be relocated because of its age, type or size; specified health, falling, proximity, utility, visibility or regulatory conflicts; and other general-public-welfare reasons. The city balances these against environmental criteria, must issue when it finds no significant adverse impact and at least one listed condition, and must specify the basis for a denial; a proposed project alone does not establish those findings. Section 18-407(B) and (C).
Which trees and vegetation does the code protect?
The ordinary size threshold is only part of the rule: native understory vegetation, designated historic or specimen trees, required landscaping, and the city's specially identified mangroves have additional protections, subject to the applicable exemptions and state-law limits. Section 18-403; Section 18-412; Section 18-1533.20.
Measurement and property categories
Diameter at breast height, or DBH, means trunk diameter measured 4.5 feet above the existing ground level; it is not trunk circumference or stump diameter. To estimate the diameter, measure the trunk's circumference in inches 4.5 feet above the ground and divide by 3.14. The code defines a tree as a woody species normally reaching at least 15 feet at maturity, while expressly including all mangroves and cabbage palms. Section 18-402, definitions.
Section 18-403 addresses developed tracts under one acre with a valid certificate of occupancy, undeveloped tracts under one acre, tracts of one acre or more, and land clearing separately, but uses the same 4.5-inch permit trigger for covered trees, subject to exemptions. On a developed small tract, however, Section 18-412 exempts trees 4.5 inches or less except required landscaping; that creates a real overlap at exactly 4.5 inches, so an owner should obtain the city's interpretation rather than round the measurement. Section 18-403; Section 18-412.
Mangroves and designated trees
The city's mangrove provision covers red, black and white mangroves and also names buttonwood, regardless of size, and restricts removal, transplantation, pruning and alteration; it has an exception for trees in an area subject to the specified county-issued permit. Designated historic and specimen trees must be maintained in a living condition. Section 18-403(E) and (F).
Do not assume a residential tree exemption authorizes mangrove work: Section 163.045 does not apply to delegated mangrove regulation, and Pinellas County separately administers mangrove trimming and alteration requirements. For that separate screening, Environmental Management lists 727-453-3385. Florida Statute 163.045(4); Pinellas County mangroves.
Which local exemptions apply, and is a no-fee permit still a permit?
A local exemption, a waived fee and relief from replacement are different things; the result depends on the applicable provision and does not arise merely because someone calls a tree invasive, dead or dangerous. Section 18-412; Section 18-420; Section 18-408(C).
Section 18-412 lists these local exemptions, which must be read with required-landscaping and special-protection provisions rather than used to abandon an approved landscape plan. Section 18-412; Section 18-1533.20.
Small-tract transplantation: Trees under six inches DBH may be transplanted on small tracts under this exemption; the code's definition of transplantation is relocation on the same property, not removal for disposal. Sections 18-412(1) and 18-402.
Developed small tracts: Trees 4.5 inches DBH or less are exempt except trees required by the city's landscaping regulations; the exactly-4.5-inch overlap described above remains important. Section 18-412(2).
Bona fide agriculture: The exemption is tied to the code's agricultural definition, including land use from which the owner receives more than 50 percent of the owner's livelihood; a few fruit trees do not establish that test. Sections 18-412(3) and 18-402.
Listed species: All palms except cabbage palms, Australian pine, Brazilian pepper, citrus, Chinaberry, Chinese tallow, ear tree, eucalyptus, Norfolk Island pine, punk tree, silk oak and woman's tongue are listed in the removal exemption. Section 18-412(4).
For clearing dominated by listed exempt exotic species, Section 18-404 describes a no-fee permit route, not permission to clear without the city's review. Government maintenance of existing rights-of-way, drainage and utility easements has a separate exemption, while qualifying new government construction and certain previously approved right-of-way or utility work retain requirements despite fee relief. Section 18-404(C).
Under the local dead-tree, hazard and noncorrectable-structure-damage route, Section 18-420 requires documentation from an ISA certified arborist or Florida licensed landscape architect for the no-fee permit, with a copy on site and available for inspection before work begins; a failure to produce that documentation is a violation of Section 18-403. City-ordered removals under Section 18-414 and a City Manager emergency waiver under Section 18-411 are separate routes, not authority for an owner or contractor to declare a general emergency exemption. Section 18-420; Section 18-414; Section 18-411.
Camphor and prohibited planting
Camphor is not listed in the local removal exemption, so calling it invasive does not itself establish a permit exemption. The code's approved canopy-planting list still displays camphor, but the publisher lists Ordinance 2026-16, adopted June 9, 2026, as not yet codified, and its amendment deletes camphor from that planting list; deletion from a planting list is not a new removal exemption. Section 18-412; Section 18-1533.10; published Ordinance 2026-16; Land Development Code update listing.
The planting prohibitions are not identical to the removal-exemption list: Section 18-414 prohibits planting Australian pine, Brazilian pepper, Chinese tallow and punk tree, while Section 18-1533.10 has a longer prohibited-propagation list and specific exotic-removal requirements before final landscape inspection, with native-wildlife-habitat and other agency-permit qualifications. Identify the species and applicable approval before treating a removal exemption as permission to plant it again. Section 18-414; Section 18-1533.10.
Does pruning require the same approval as removal?
Pruning is not permission to destroy a protected tree: Article 4 prohibits unauthorized damage and hatracking, required landscaping cannot be severely pruned into abnormal growth without replacement consequences, and mangrove pruning has its own permit rules. A removal approval should not be treated as authorization to leave a mutilated tree standing. Section 18-401; Section 18-402; Section 18-1533.20; Section 18-403(E).
Hatracking means topping or heading by cutting major portions of the crown back to stubs or the trunk. Separately, required landscaping must be maintained and replaced when it fails the code's health standards; the reference to dieback to 50 percent or less of living canopy is a replacement trigger, not an allowance to remove half a tree's canopy. Section 18-402; Section 18-1533.20.
Visibility requirements can require maintained clearance around intersections, but do not erase the tree-protection provisions. Tree work near streets should therefore be screened against both rules, not justified by a general claim that visibility always overrides preservation. Section 18-1503.11, visibility triangles; Section 18-401.
When does Florida Statute 163.045 remove local tree-permit requirements?
Florida Statute 163.045 prohibits local notice, application, approval, permit, fee or mitigation requirements for pruning, trimming or removal only when the owner of qualifying residential property possesses the required documentation that the tree presents an unacceptable risk; it also prohibits required replanting after removal under the section. The statute does not apply to delegated mangrove regulation. Florida Statute 163.045.
Every part of the statutory test matters. These are the statute's qualifications, not credentials claimed by Ken's Tree Service. Florida Statute 163.045(1).
Property: A single-family detached building must be on a lot actively used for single-family residential purposes, and the residential use must be conforming or legally nonconforming under local land-development regulations. Section 163.045(1)(b).
Documentation: The owner must possess an onsite assessment performed and signed by an arborist certified by the International Society of Arboriculture or a Florida licensed landscape architect, in accordance with the tree-risk-assessment procedures in Best Management Practices: Tree Risk Assessment, Second Edition (2017). Section 163.045(1)(a) and (2).
Risk finding: Removal must be the only practical means of mitigating the risk below moderate, as determined using that standard; tree health, an owner's concern or a contractor's verbal opinion is not a substitute for this finding. Section 163.045(2).
An HOA common area, ordinary commercial site, institution or multifamily building does not become qualifying residential property merely because people live nearby or the tree is hazardous; apply the statute's actual property definition rather than extending it by analogy. Its route also differs from the city's local documented no-fee and replacement-relief provisions. Florida Statute 163.045; Section 18-420; Section 18-408(C).
What does a Pinellas Park tree permit cost?
The city's published fee resolution and codified tree-fee section do not agree, so use the current resolution as a published charge schedule, not a guaranteed project total, and ask Building Development to identify the applicable charge and exemption. Resolution 2026-08 became effective February 26, 2026, and lists the following amounts; qualifying state-law work and the local no-fee routes described above must be considered separately. Resolution 2026-08, pages 1 and 3; Section 18-420; Florida Statute 163.045.
Published charge in Resolution 2026-08 | Amount and unit |
|---|---|
Tree removal, one- and two-family dwelling | $40 per tree. Page 3 |
Tree removal, other than one- and two-family dwelling | $40 per tree. Page 3 |
Clearing and grubbing | $40 per acre or fraction. Page 3 |
Mitigation payment in lieu, one- and two-family dwelling | $300 per tree, when that payment route is authorized. Page 3 |
Mitigation payment in lieu, other than one- and two-family dwelling | $500 per tree, when that payment route is authorized. Page 3 |
By contrast, Section 18-420 still states $20 for a single-family or duplex lot, $40 per acre for subdivision review, and $20 for a multifamily, office-commercial or industrial lot of one acre or less or $40 for a larger lot, with separate subdivision and clearing charges. Its amendment history does not establish a newly effective date for those legacy figures, and they should not be represented as today's confirmed invoice. Section 18-420.
The city's older residential and commercial estimating worksheets also show landscape charges per acre that differ from the newer resolution. Section 18-1501.31 provides for fees by Council resolution, but this guide does not decide the legal effect of every conflicting fee entry; request a written project-specific calculation rather than choosing the cheapest published number. Residential fee worksheet; Commercial fee worksheet; Section 18-1501.31; Resolution 2026-08.
What trees must be retained or replaced?
Removal permission does not by itself eliminate replacement or approved-plan obligations: Section 18-408 uses relocation, comparable shade and site requirements, with specific residential and nonresidential exceptions, while Section 18-1533 can require a greater landscape count. The statutory route, when all of its conditions are met, separately prohibits required replanting. Section 18-408; Section 18-1533.7; Florida Statute 163.045(3).
Ordinary relocation and site minimums
The code calls for practical relocation or replacement providing equal shade or comparable coverage, subject to insufficient-space provisions; ordinary replacement stock must be at least 1.5 inches in diameter measured six inches above grade, eight feet tall and Florida Grade No. 1 or better. These planting measurements are different from the DBH measurement used for an existing tree. Section 18-408(A).
Section 18-408(B)'s table describes site tree requirements, not a universal one-tree-for-every-tree-removed formula, and qualifying retained trees can count toward it. The published rows are reproduced without filling their gaps. Section 18-408(B).
Site area in square feet | Published number of trees |
|---|---|
3,500 through 5,999 | |
6,000 through 9,499 | |
9,500 through 15,999 | |
Over 16,000 (per 16,000-square-foot unit) |
The table does not assign a row to exactly 16,000 square feet or to a site below 3,500 square feet; that is not a finding that such sites owe no trees. Obtain the city's application of the broader replacement and landscape rules to those cases. Section 18-408(B); Section 18-1533.7.
Privately owned mobile-home parks under one ownership and specified common areas in larger existing developments have the section's one-for-one, equal-shade rule, and a tree previously credited in an approved landscape plan must be replaced to restore the number of credits it supplied. Do not assume that replacing one large credited tree with one small tree restores the approved plan. Section 18-408(B).
Documented dead, hazardous or damaging trees
For residential property, Section 18-408(C)(1) provides relief from that section's replacement requirements when the specified professional documents a dead or hazardous tree or noncorrectable structural damage. For nonresidential property, subsection (C)(2) preserves one-for-one, equal-shade replacement when removal creates a tree-quantity deficiency or the tree fulfilled Section 18-1533 requirements; neither local provision should be confused with the separate state-law test. Section 18-408(C); Florida Statute 163.045.
Landscape credits, stock and species
The landscape credit table for qualifying preserved non-palm trees is distinct from both replacement stock sizes and violation penalties. Preserved palms must meet the section's species and height requirements and generally count three for one toward understory requirements, not canopy or intermediate-tree requirements; the City Manager may allow qualifying other native palms under the section's criteria. Section 18-1533.18; Section 18-1533.10.
Preserved non-palm tree DBH | Landscape tree credits |
|---|---|
4 through 7.99 inches | |
8 through 11.99 inches | |
12 through 15.99 inches | |
16 through 23.99 inches | |
24 inches or greater |
For required landscape installation, transplanted stock generally must be 1.5 inches at six inches above grade and eight feet tall, versus 1.25 inches and eight feet for container-grown stock; the Community Redevelopment Area instead specifies three inches and 12 feet for transplanted stock, or two inches and eight feet for container stock. These are Section 18-1533.10 standards, not a replacement for a different standard expressly applicable under Article 4. Section 18-1533.10(A); Section 18-408(A).
Required tree composition includes at least 20 percent canopy and 30 percent intermediate trees, with canopy trees substitutable for intermediate and intermediate for understory trees; Section 18-1533.11 ordinarily requires 70 percent native species unless the city's alternative-species criteria are met. These requirements apply together, rather than making any nursery tree interchangeable. Section 18-1533.13; Section 18-1533.11.
Total trees in the published diversity table | Minimum species |
|---|---|
1 | |
2 through 20 | |
21 through 30 | |
31 through 40 | |
Over 41 |
Palms used for planting credit must be at least eight feet to the bud and count at three palms per required understory tree; they are limited to 25 percent of the understory-tree number for nonresidential, mixed-use and multifamily sites over one-half acre, and 50 percent for single-family, manufactured-home, duplex and multifamily sites under one-half acre. In the Community Redevelopment Area, the stated residential categories instead have a 30-percent cap; exactly one-half acre is not assigned a multifamily category in the first two rules, and exactly 41 trees is not assigned a diversity-table row. Section 18-1533.10(B)(4); Section 18-1533.13.
What changes for commercial, multifamily, HOA and institutional properties?
These properties remain subject to the applicable tree and landscape rules, including existing approved plans, and ordinarily cannot use the single-family residential exception in Section 163.045; a site's actual use, zoning, approvals and statutory eligibility control. Nonresidential replacement exceptions and the published fee schedule are set out above rather than being replaced by a blanket commercial-tree-permit rule. Sections 18-403, 18-408, 18-1533.2 and Florida Statute 163.045.
If you manage an HOA common area, shopping center, apartment property or institutional campus, locate the approved landscape plan before treating a tree as surplus: the code requires continued conformance with approved plans, maintenance survives a change in ownership, and removing or paving required landscape areas requires the applicable revised-plan approval. Previously approved developed sites may use written removal reasons and inspection under Article 4 instead of a new tree-removal site plan, but that does not cancel a separate landscape-plan amendment obligation. Section 18-1503.3; Section 18-1533.20; Section 18-404(A).
The city's Landscape Application provides owner and applicant or contractor information and a signature, while its Affidavit of Ownership provides for an owner's appointed agent. For an association or company, establish the signer's authority and ask Building Development what entity authorization and portal role it requires; the public form alone does not prove that any employee, manager or contractor can bind the owner. Landscape Application; Affidavit of Ownership; Forms and Applications.
Buffers, parking and industrial sites
Streetscape and perimeter obligations depend on use, adjoining zoning, location and Community Redevelopment Area status; a perimeter matrix assigns different buffer types, and the stricter applicable requirement controls rather than duplicate buffers being counted independently. Use the actual zoning pair and approved plan instead of applying one general setback to every commercial boundary. Section 18-1533.15; Section 18-1533.16.
Interior vehicular-use-area landscaping generally requires eight percent of the area, or ten percent in the Community Redevelopment Area, with one tree for each 200 square feet or fraction of required interior landscape area; the section exempts single-family, duplex and manufactured-home development and parking areas with ten or fewer spaces. Its island, spacing and planting-area rules still determine a compliant layout where it applies. Section 18-1533.17; Section 18-1533.12.
For an M-1 industrial property next to or functionally abutting residential or mixed-use zoning, do not rely on the generic buffer table alone: the city's posted Ordinance 2026-08 addresses additional M-1 locational and preliminary-site-plan requirements. That ordinance is a different document from the fee resolution bearing the same number; have the city apply the current industrial provisions to the proposed layout. Ordinance 2026-08, M-1 regulations; Resolution 2026-08, fees.
What if you are building, expanding, demolishing or clearing a site?
Tree review is part of development review, not something a building or demolition permit automatically replaces: applicable site-plan approval, tree protection, drainage requirements and landscape completion must be coordinated before work. Article 4 also permits the city to withhold permits, inspections and certificates of occupancy until its conditions are satisfied. Section 18-404; Section 18-1541.2; Section 18-418.
Additions, pools, redevelopment and demolition
If you are building a pool or an addition, the final-site-plan exceptions matter: they include certain individual single-family and duplex work and limited minor expansions meeting both the size and parking tests, but not every project on residentially zoned land. A building application exempt from final-site-plan review can still require a plot plan, tree-removal permit or no-tree verification and outside-agency approvals; easements separately restrict pools and other obstructions. Section 18-1541.2; Section 18-1541.11; Section 18-1530.5.
For covered building or vehicular-use-area expansions other than single-family, duplex and manufactured-home development, the landscape-compliance schedule scales with the size of the expansion. The code prints the following categories; it overlaps at exactly 25 percent and does not expressly resolve every fractional boundary, so do not interpolate a project into a category without city review. Section 18-1533.8.
Published expansion category | Portion of full landscape compliance |
|---|---|
50 percent or greater | 100 percent. Section 18-1533.8 |
35 through 49 percent | 75 percent. Section 18-1533.8 |
25 through 34 percent | 50 percent. Section 18-1533.8 |
Up to 25 percent | 25 percent. Section 18-1533.8 |
The section prioritizes streetscape, perimeter, interior and other landscaping in successive 25-percent portions, while nonconforming-site provisions have their own triggers and limits. Demolition does not make the remaining site unregulated: the general provisions require seed or sod after building removal, with sod in the Community Redevelopment Area, and the nonconforming provisions address land on which a building has been removed. Section 18-1533.8; Section 18-1533.9; Section 18-1533.7.
Surveys, plans and professional qualifications
For a tract under one acre, the Article 4 plan includes the site and structures, protected trees to remain, be removed or transplanted, replacement and protection measures, barriers, setbacks, easements and grades; retained trees must be identified for inspection. For one acre or more, the topographic plan must be sealed by a registered engineer or registered surveyor and include the specified survey and aerial information. These are the code's qualifications, not credentials attributed to a tree-service company. Section 18-404(D) and (E).
Final-site-plan applications have additional requirements, including a Florida Professional Surveyor and Mapper boundary survey prepared within six months before application, title information certified no earlier than 60 days before preparation or updating of that survey, and tree-survey information for trees over 4.5 inches DBH. Professionally prepared portions must be certified by the appropriate Florida professional and bear that person's seal, registration number, name and address; the tree survey's “over” wording does not remove the exactly-4.5-inch issue in the permit provisions. Section 18-1541.5; Section 18-403.
Clearing, grubbing, fill and drainage
No-tree verification is a city-reviewed route, not an owner's informal assertion: the application provisions address inspection, erosion controls and the trees or required landscaping that must be disclosed. Clearing and grubbing require the applicable review; where dense understory prevents an initial tree survey, the code provides a written early-grubbing exception rather than authority to damage retained trees or their drip lines. Section 18-402; Section 18-404(B) and (C).
The posted subdivision amendment likewise states that permitted early brush removal must not include removal of or damage to any trees and that Article 4 applies; grading, drainage and construction remain tied to approvals and appropriate permits. Separate drainage-plan provisions and their stated exemptions govern site alteration, and excavation or fill must not be treated as automatically covered by tree-removal permission. Ordinance 2026-11, Section 7; Section 18-203; Section 18-204.
Preservation areas and wildlife
Wetlands, buffers, protected uplands and wildlife habitat can impose obligations beyond replacing individual trees: Section 18-408 includes wetland replacement and establishment standards, 15-foot and 50-foot buffer categories, and a three-percent upland-preservation rule for qualifying contiguous sites of five acres or more. Its older-approval exceptions, redevelopment triggers, easement requirements and approved alternatives must be applied to the actual site rather than treating these figures as universal setbacks. Section 18-408(D) through (I).
Structures, utilities, fill, excavation, storage and alteration of native vegetation are restricted within the protected areas, subject to the section's stated exceptions. Where the city determines that listed wildlife may be affected, the code also requires the relevant agency's written comments; neither a tree permit nor a tree replacement payment establishes wildlife clearance. Section 18-408(G); Section 18-407.1.
Tree protection during construction
For covered trees 4.5 inches DBH or larger, construction storage and activity must stay outside the greater of six feet from the trunk or two-thirds of the drip line; protected understory has a six-foot protection area. The code prohibits machinery, temporary soil deposits, solvents and other damaging materials within these areas. Section 18-409(A).
Protective barriers must be installed before development, clearing, filling or alteration, and remain until the city inspector releases them or the final certificate of occupancy is issued; attachments to protected vegetation and unapproved work within barriers are restricted. The code has specific ribbon-barrier alternatives for identified situations, not a general right to substitute tape for substantial protection. Section 18-409(B).
Do not treat the barrier distance as permission to cut roots wherever a machine can fit. The protection and damage provisions still apply, and any work affecting a retained tree or inside its protected area should be presented to the city in the protection plan. Section 18-409; Section 18-401.
Completion, payment and certificates of occupancy
Landscape compliance is due before completion or occupancy unless an approved phase or the section's temporary-certificate procedure applies; that temporary route requires hardship, an acceptable completion date, an agreement and security of 125 percent of material and labor costs, among its conditions. Required landscape maintenance continues afterward, including the section's 30-day replacement requirement for failed material. Section 18-1533.4; Section 18-1533.20.
The tree bank is not a purchase of removal approval: Section 18-421 expressly separates permit decisions from donations, and Section 18-408 identifies particular tree-bank payments associated with violations. The fee resolution's $300 and $500 payment-in-lieu rates do not themselves create a right to elect payment instead of planting; the city must identify the applicable authority, calculation and payment timing. Section 18-421; Section 18-408(J); Resolution 2026-08, page 3.
Landscape waivers have a separate hardship and approval process, including plans, the applicable fee and, where required, a signed and sealed cost schedule by one of the professionals named in the rule; required conditions must be completed within one year or before final occupancy, whichever is sooner. Obtain the approval's actual expiration and completion terms rather than borrowing the tree-removal permit's time limit. Section 18-1533.22.
Development fees can include charges beyond tree removal: the February 26, 2026 resolution lists final-site-plan administrative review at $125 and board review at $500 plus advertising, while construction plan-review charges have their own calculation. Ask for the combined project calculation, with applicable exemptions, rather than presenting the per-tree charge as the total development cost. Resolution 2026-08, pages 3, 16 and 17.
What should you verify about a contractor before tree work?
A contractor's quote does not establish permit eligibility or transfer the owner's compliance obligations: Article 4 expressly reaches people and businesses participating in violations, and the city can order unlawful work stopped. Verify the actual approval, authorized scope, retained-tree protection and required documentation rather than relying on a verbal statement that no permit is needed. Section 18-416; Section 18-1501.16.
Section 13-101 requires a business tax receipt unless a state-law exemption applies and separately addresses registration of qualifying outside contractors' home-jurisdiction receipts. That is a business-registration rule, not proof of a professional arborist credential; the city's permit instructions also require contractors and companies applying for permits to provide general-liability and workers' compensation insurance information or the applicable exemption. Section 13-101; Applying for a Permit.
Ask for the specific receipt or registration and insurance evidence applicable to the work, and for the issued permit or the documentation supporting the claimed exception. A blank license field on a form, a low bid or an insurance certificate alone does not resolve the tree's regulatory status. Landscape Application; Applying for a Permit; Section 18-403.
What are the penalties for unauthorized tree work?
The $500 figure in Article 4 is not a universal cap on the cost of a violation: Section 18-416 provides, upon court conviction, a fine up to $500, imprisonment up to 60 days or both, with each tree a separate offense, while restoration, replacement and separate code-enforcement remedies may also apply. These are distinct enforcement mechanisms, not amounts to add automatically to every case. Section 18-416; Section 18-415; Section 2-1208.
For protected trees unlawfully destroyed on property zoned F, RE, RR, R-1, R-2, R-3 or T-1, or individual dwelling lots in an RPUD, Section 18-415 uses the following sliding scale. The alternative contribution is based on the section's ISA-value measure, not the routine fee resolution's flat mitigation charge. Section 18-415(A)(1).
Violated tree DBH | Replacement measure | Alternative tree-bank measure |
|---|---|---|
4.5 through 10 inches, including otherwise-required smaller trees | Tree for tree. Section 18-415 | 20 percent of ISA value. Section 18-415 |
Over 10 through 15 inches | 40 percent of inches. Section 18-415 | 20 percent of ISA value. Section 18-415 |
Over 15 through 20 inches | 60 percent of inches. Section 18-415 | 30 percent of ISA value. Section 18-415 |
Over 20 through 25 inches | 80 percent of inches. Section 18-415 | 30 percent of ISA value. Section 18-415 |
Over 25 inches | 100 percent of inches. Section 18-415 | 40 percent of ISA value. Section 18-415 |
Other zoning follows the section's inch-for-inch replacement rule, with full-value payment or a combination where replacement exceeds the site's holding capacity; it is not the residential sliding scale. Violation replacement stock has its own size and measurement-height rules, and damaged habitat must be restored against predevelopment conditions. Section 18-415(A) and (B).
Separately, Section 2-1208 authorizes special-magistrate fines up to $250 per day for a first violation after the compliance deadline, up to $500 per day for a repeat violation, and up to $5,000 for an irreparable or irreversible violation, under that section's procedures. Recorded orders can become liens, with a foreclosure route after the statutory period and a homestead foreclosure limitation; these remedies are not the same as the Article 4 court-conviction penalty. Section 2-1208.
How do you apply for tree review in Pinellas Park?
Begin with Building Development and the city's Landscape Application, but first identify whether the project belongs in ordinary tree review, a local exemption or the qualifying statutory route; the existence of an online permit portal does not make an application legally required in every case. Forms and Applications; Landscape Application; Section 18-412; Florida Statute 163.045.
Confirm jurisdiction and approvals. Check the parcel in the county address lookup, then obtain its existing site and landscape approvals before identifying proposed changes. Section 18-1503.3.
Describe the request. The Landscape Application distinguishes no-tree verification, removal, clearing and landscape matters and requests property and applicant information; attach the written reasons, plan or professional documentation applicable to the route under Section 18-404 and Section 18-420.
Establish authority to apply. If acting for the owner, use the city's applicable authorization process, including the Affidavit of Ownership where required; ask the department how it handles association or company signers.
Use the current city entry point. The Forms and Applications page links the Pinellas Park online permitting portal; ask Building Development which application type and uploads apply before using an older saved portal link.
Obtain the city's review and written terms. Article 4 provides for field inspection and coordination with final-site-plan approval, subject to the clearing and grubbing route; verify retained trees, barriers, replacement, fees and conditions before work under Sections 18-404 and 18-405.
Track permit and completion dates. Article 4 requires commencement within the period specified by the permit, no longer than six months, allows a completion extension of no more than six months for good cause, and requires a new application after expiration. Section 18-404(G).
Building Development lists 6051 78th Avenue North, 727-369-5647, and [email protected]; its published hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Use the named department rather than assuming an individual reviewer will handle the application. Applying for a Permit.
Can you appeal a tree decision or request a variance?
Article 4 provides a written appeal or variance route to the Board of Adjustment, submitted to the City Manager with a copy to the board within ten days of the decision; relief is not automatic and the variance criteria address hardship and the public interest. A fee conflict must be resolved separately from that short deadline. Section 18-417.
The codified Article 4 provision lists $25, whereas the February 26, 2026 fee resolution lists $160 plus advertising for appeals to the Board of Adjustment, Community Redevelopment Agency or of staff decisions. Ask the city which charge and filing procedure apply to the particular Article 4 appeal without assuming that a fee inquiry extends the filing period. Section 18-417; Resolution 2026-08, pages 16 and 17.
What about street trees, rights-of-way and utility easements?
A tree beside the road is not necessarily under the adjoining owner's control: Article 4 places removal from public rights-of-way under the City Manager's direction, and work involving right-of-way improvements can require a separate permit. Determine ownership, the right-of-way line and the agency controlling the work before treating a yard-tree approval as sufficient. Section 18-413; Section 14-103.
The right-of-way permit provisions include owner or appointed-agent authorization, insurance and security requirements for covered work, while landscaping in a right-of-way or easement needs the appropriate agency's approval and can require maintenance arrangements. The government-maintenance exception in Section 18-404 is not a general exemption for a private owner or contractor working near utilities. Section 14-103; Section 18-1533.7; Section 18-404(C).
Where do city guidance and the code disagree?
Use administrative pages to find forms and contacts, but do not let a simplified webpage erase an ordinance exemption, a later enactment or state law. The city's yard-waste page says a permit must first be obtained for tree removal, while the actual rules contain the qualifications described in this guide. Yard Waste, Recycling and Brush Site Information; Section 18-412; Florida Statute 163.045.
Fee documents: The current resolution, codified section and older estimating worksheets have different amounts and units; the fee section above identifies the conflict rather than silently choosing one. Resolution 2026-08; Section 18-420; Residential worksheet; Commercial worksheet.
Old landscaping references: Article 4 still points to former Section 18-1512 landscaping provisions, but the current Section 18-1512 concerns duplex zoning and the landscape rules are in Section 18-1533. The reader should follow the applicable current provision, with city confirmation where the stale reference affects a decision. Section 18-408; Section 18-412; Current Section 18-1512.1; Section 18-1533.
Tree-bank cross-reference: Section 18-421(C)(3) cites Section 18-1533.11(D), but that subsection addresses whether alternative species are invasive or nuisance exotics, not a payment-in-lieu mechanism. Do not repair that citation by inventing a payment entitlement. Section 18-421; Section 18-1533.11.
Redlined ordinance text: Ordinance 4163's older sentence requiring an inspection and permit before removal is struck through in the amendment; text extraction that ignores the strikeout can misleadingly make it look like surviving language. Read the visual ordinance together with the current codified text and state law, not as a new universal permit condition. Ordinance 4163, page 6; Section 18-408(C); Florida Statute 163.045.
What does the reviewed Pinellas Park code leave unresolved?
The reviewed provisions do not supply a universal safe percentage of crown removal or a general numeric root-pruning allowance that overrides damage and construction-protection rules. The relevant code provisions instead address hatracking, destructive maintenance, replacement and protected construction areas. Sections 18-401 and 18-402; Section 18-402 definitions; Section 18-409; Section 18-1533.20.
Whole-code searches for root pruning, pruning, crown, canopy percentages and hatracking were checked on September 30, 2026, across the city's published Code of Ordinances and Land Development Code snapshots, with relevant provisions read and unrelated matches separated. This is a scoped search result, not a claim that every possible agency condition or later approval was examined. Code of Ordinances; Land Development Code.
The table-boundary gaps described above, the inconsistent fee schedules and the tree-bank cross-reference also remain interpretation questions, not zero-cost or no-permit exemptions. Have the city identify the governing provision for the actual property instead of filling a missing number with an assumption. Section 18-408; Section 18-420; Section 18-421; Resolution 2026-08.
Sources and scope
This guide was checked September 30, 2026, against the Land Development Code's Supplement 30, updated July 1, 2026, and the Code of Ordinances' Supplement 33, updated July 20, 2026, together with the publisher's not-yet-codified ordinance listings, linked city materials and Florida Statute 163.045. Those supplement dates are publication snapshots, not a representation that every older section first became effective on those dates. Land Development Code; Code of Ordinances; Florida Statute 163.045.
This is a documentary reference, not a determination about a particular tree or property. For a location outside the city, start with the actual governing jurisdiction; related navigation is available in our Pinellas County guide, Largo guide and St. Petersburg guide, but those articles do not establish Pinellas Park's rules.
Where does this leave your tree or project?
A tree may be a candidate for removal or pruning, but candidacy is not a permit decision or a finding that the tree qualifies for an exception. For a Pinellas Park property, take the species, location, existing approvals and proposed work to Building Development so the city can identify the applicable review.
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 Pinellas Park guide is provided as a regional resource, not an offer to perform work in Pinellas Park; for projects within our service area, our number is 727-934-5804.
For help finding the relevant part of this guide and distinguishing the questions to put to the city, continue with our website agent, the chat on this page.