South Pasadena 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 South Pasadena, Florida?
South Pasadena generally requires a tree removal or relocation permit through its Department of Community Improvement. (Section 183-2; Section 183-3) The nuisance-species exemption, no-fee species permit, mangrove provisions and qualifying Florida Statute 163.045 route can change those requirements. (Section 183-7(D); Section 183-7(E); Section 183-9; Florida Statute 163.045(2)) Start by confirming the jurisdiction with the Pinellas County city-or-county guide, identifying the tree and applicable approval ground, and contacting the deciding department before work.
This guide concerns the City of South Pasadena in Florida, whose charter identifies its creation under Florida law, not South Pasadena, California. (Section C-1.01) It is a regional reference, not an offer to perform work in South Pasadena.
Why is retaining the tree the starting point?
South Pasadena makes removal the exception: tree permits may be issued only on the grounds in Section 183-4, except for the separate less-desirable-species route. (Section 183-4) A development-based request cannot be approved where the applicant failed to design and locate improvements to minimize tree removal. (Section 183-4(D))
The six ordinary grounds are:
Traffic or utilities: A safety hazard to pedestrian or vehicular traffic, or an unmanageable threat of disruption to public utility services. (Section 183-4(A))
Buildings: A safety hazard to buildings or structures. (Section 183-4(B))
Access: Trees completely preventing access to a lot or parcel. (Section 183-4(C))
Development or use: Trees unreasonably preventing development or use, with the design-to-minimize-removal condition. (Section 183-4(D))
Disease or injury: Disease threatening spread to other trees, or disease or injury weakening trees beyond saving and making death likely within one year of the application. (Section 183-4(E))
Canopy improvement: A landscaping plan producing an overall immediate increase in site canopy coverage as determined by the department, excluding endangered, threatened, special-concern and county-defined specimen trees. (Section 183-4(F))
The county specimen-tree cross-reference is unresolved
The city's canopy ground points to a specimen-tree definition in the Pinellas County Code. (Section 183-4(F)) However, the reviewed current county tree definitions in Section 58-807 do not define an individual “specimen tree.” (Pinellas County Code Section 58-807)
The county's Section 166-36 instead defines “Specimen tree stands” as a contiguous grouping determined by a suitable professional to have high aesthetic or ecological value, with a relatively mature even-aged stand and the provision's additional species, historical, aesthetic or habitat criteria. (Pinellas County Code Section 166-36) That is not the individual-tree definition the city text describes; the current county code search did not locate that definition. (Pinellas County Code Section 58-807) Ask Community Improvement how it applies Section 183-4(F), rather than substituting an old county threshold or treating the exclusion as deleted.
Which trees and palms are protected?
The city defines a protected tree as “Any tree or species of tree not specifically exempted by this article,” so its two-inch rule must be read with the species and state-law exceptions, and with the unresolved palm and dead-tree questions. (Section 183-1, definition of protected tree) The tree definition is:
Any living, self-supporting, woody perennial plant that has a minimum trunk caliper of two inches measured at a point six inches above the ground and that normally attains a height of at least 10 feet at maturity, usually with one main stem or trunk and many branches. In addition all mangroves and palms shall be considered trees. (Section 183-1, definition of tree)
All palm species are included, not only cabbage palms; no palm species is expressly exempted from the permit rule in Chapter 183. (Section 183-1, definition of tree) The code lists Roystonea palms in the less-desirable category, which provides a no-fee permit with approved native replacement, not a permit exemption. (Section 183-7(E)(18)) Whether the “In addition” sentence includes palms below the two-inch caliper or mature-height tests is not settled by its wording. (Section 183-1, definition of tree) Put that question to Community Improvement.
Do dead trees need a permit?
Chapter 183 does not clearly answer the dead-tree permit question because “TREE” begins with “Any living,” while its disease ground addresses trees that cannot be saved and are likely to die within one year. (Section 183-1, definition of tree; Section 183-4(E)) Separately, the housing sanitation provision requires the owner or occupant of residential property to remove dead trees along with the listed abandoned items and debris. (Section 115-14(C))
That sanitation duty is not an express Chapter 183 permit exemption. Ask Community Improvement whether it requires a permit or documentation for the dead tree before assuming either answer.
How do you measure the two-inch tree threshold?
For the city's general tree definition, measure trunk caliper six inches above the ground, not diameter at breast height 4.5 feet above the ground, and retain the living-tree and mature-height conditions and applicable exceptions. (Section 183-1, definition of tree) A circumference measured at that same six-inch height divided by 3.14 gives an approximate diameter; two inches corresponds to approximately 6.28 inches around.
This conversion is a screening aid, not a determination for an irregular or multiple-stem trunk. The city's published definition does not give a separate multi-stem calculation; ask the department how it measures that tree. (South Pasadena Code of Ordinances)
Which exceptions change the permit answer?
The city has a no-permit nuisance-species category and a separate no-fee-permit less-desirable category; no fee does not mean no permit. (Section 183-7(D); Section 183-7(E)) The Florida residential-risk statute and mangrove provisions have their own conditions, addressed in their respective sections.
Mangroves follow a distinct regulatory track
Section 183-9 says anyone seeking to trim or alter mangroves in the city does not need a city permit but must comply with Florida statutes, the Pinellas County Code and Department of Environmental Protection rules. (Section 183-9) Pinellas County's current mangrove page says mangroves cannot be trimmed unless an exemption applies or a permit is obtained, and Florida DEP lists Pinellas County as a delegated local government. (Pinellas County mangrove guidance; Florida DEP mangrove delegation list)
There is an internal city-code tension: the tree definition includes all mangroves, while the general removal provision regulates trees and Section 183-9 states the distinct city-permit treatment. (Section 183-1, definition of tree; Section 183-2; Section 183-9) Do not treat that tension as permission to remove or alter mangroves; confirm the applicable state and delegated-county requirements with the county's mangrove program and the city.
Do you need a permit to prune a private tree?
The reviewed city code does not publish a general permit requirement for ordinary private-tree pruning, but damage, poisoning or destruction counts as removal; topping needs an advance written exception when allowed, and mangroves and right-of-way work have separate rules. (South Pasadena Code of Ordinances; Section 183-1, definition of remove a tree; Section 183-8(C)) This is not permission for cutting that effectively destroys a tree.
Section 183-1 defines topping as severe cutting of limbs to stubs larger than three inches in diameter within the crown to a degree that removes the normal canopy and disfigures the tree. (Section 183-1, definition of tree topping) Section 183-8(C) prohibits topping any tree, not just public trees; the department may issue an exception for severe damage, utility wires or another obstruction where other pruning practices are impractical, with written application before pruning. (Section 183-8(C))
For trees overhanging public streets or alleys, owners must avoid obstruction of streetlights and maintain 14 feet of clear space above the street, while sidewalk branches must not interfere with pedestrians or bicycle riders. (Section 183-8(B)) The same subsection prohibits a visual obstruction, and Section 130-4 defines it through visibility at intersections and access points. (Section 183-8(B); Section 130-4, definition of visual obstruction) The code also prohibits planting a tree expected to mature above 25 feet within 20 feet of public utility lines. (Section 183-8(D))
Which nuisance and less-desirable species have different rules?
The following five code-listed nuisance species may be cut down and disposed of without a permit or fee under Section 183-7(D). (Section 183-7(D)) The table preserves the code's spellings; it is not a corrected botanical identification list.
Nuisance species exactly as codified |
|---|
Punk trees (malaleuca quinquenervia) (Section 183-7(A)(1)) |
Australian pines (casuarina) (Section 183-7(A)(2)) |
Brazilian peppers (schinus terebinthifolius) (Section 183-7(A)(3)) |
Chinese tallow (sapium ie biferum) (Section 183-7(A)(4)) |
Carrotwood (cupanioopsis) (Section 183-7(A)(5)) |
Planting, propagating, nurturing or growing those species is unlawful. (Section 183-7(B)) Before improvement of a lot or parcel, they must be removed, identified on the required site plan and accompanied by the removal method. (Section 183-7(C))
Section 183-7(E) permits removal of the following less-desirable trees without satisfying the ordinary Section 183-4 grounds, but requires a no-fee permit and replacement with an approved native tree. (Section 183-7(E)) The department must maintain the approved native list, and these less-desirable species cannot be used for required landscaping. (Section 183-7(E); Section 183-7(F))
Less-desirable species exactly as codified |
|---|
Acacia, acacia spp (Section 183-7(E)(1)) |
Avocado, Persea americana (American tropics) (Section 183-7(E)(2)) |
Cherry laurel, Prunus Caroliniana (Section 183-7(E)(3)) |
Chinaberry, Melia azedarach (SW Asia) (Section 183-7(E)(4)) |
Citrus, rue family: orange, lemon, lime, kumquat, grapefruit (East Asia) (Section 183-7(E)(5)) |
Ear, Enterolobium cyclocarpum (Central America) (Section 183-7(E)(6)) |
Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus spp. except silver dollar variety (Australia) (Section 183-7(E)(7)) |
Ficus, Ficus spp. except banyan (South America) (Section 183-7(E)(8)) |
Italian cypress, Cupressus sempervirens (South Europe) (Section 183-7(E)(9)) |
Jacaranda, Jacaranda acutifolia (Brazil) (Section 183-7(E)(10)) |
Java Plum (syzygium cumini) (Section 183-7(E)(11)) |
Jerusalem thorn, Parkinsonia aculeata (Central America) (Section 183-7(E)(12)) |
Loquat, Eriobotrya japonica (China) (Section 183-7(E)(13)) |
Mango, Mangifera indica (India) (Section 183-7(E)(14)) |
Monkey puzzle tree, Araucaria spp. (Australia) (Section 183-7(E)(15)) |
Norfolk Island pine, Araucaria excelsa (Norfolk Island) (Section 183-7(E)(16)) |
Orchid, Bauhinia spp. (India) (Section 183-7(E)(17)) |
Palm, Roystonea spp. (Section 183-7(E)(18)) |
Poinciana, Poinciana spp. (Madagascar) (Section 183-7(E)(19)) |
Silk oak, Grevillia robusta (Australia) (Section 183-7(E)(20)) |
Toog, Bischofia javanica (Africa) (Section 183-7(E)(21)) |
Woman's tongue, Albizia spp. (Asia) (Section 183-7(E)(22)) |
No separate city-approved native replacement list was located in the city forms, Community Improvement pages or related searches checked October 5, 2026. (City Applications, Checklists and Forms page) Request that list from the department; do not substitute the county's list.
Who may apply, and why does the form ask for an arborist?
The code lets any person wishing to remove or relocate trees apply to Community Improvement, but specifically requires a certified arborist's written opinion for poor-health applications and allows the department to require a qualified expert's opinion for a claimed safety hazard. (Section 183-3) It does not identify a certifying organization for the municipal “certified arborist” requirement. (South Pasadena Code of Ordinances)
The currently linked 2017 Tree Removal/Replacement application goes further:
Applicant must be a certified arborist or an authorized agent of a certified arborist. Alternatively, the city will accept a written opinion from a certified arborist to satisfy this requirement. (2017 Tree Removal/Replacement application)
That is a form requirement for every application, unlike the code's health-specific requirement and discretionary hazard opinion. (Section 183-3; 2017 Tree Removal/Replacement application) The code is the legal provision; ask the department how it applies the form and accepts an owner, association or company representative.
When does Florida Statute 163.045 apply?
Florida Statute 163.045 restricts local requirements for pruning, trimming or removal only when the property and signed risk documentation satisfy the statute; a sick tree or an ordinary hazard allegation alone does not establish that route. (Florida Statute 163.045(2))
Its material conditions are:
Property: A single-family detached building on a lot actively used for single-family residential purposes, as a conforming or legally recognized nonconforming use under the local land development regulations. (Florida Statute 163.045(1)(b))
Documentation: An onsite assessment under Best Management Practices - Tree Risk Assessment, Second Edition (2017), performed and signed by an ISA certified arborist or Florida licensed landscape architect. (Florida Statute 163.045(1)(a))
Risk finding and possession: The owner possesses the documentation finding unacceptable risk to persons or property, meaning removal is the only practical means of mitigating the risk below moderate under that named standard. (Florida Statute 163.045(2))
Effect: When those conditions are met, local government may not require notice, application, approval, permit, fee or mitigation for the covered pruning, trimming or removal, or require replanting afterward. (Florida Statute 163.045(2); Florida Statute 163.045(3))
Mangroves: The statute does not apply to specifically delegated mangrove-protection authority. (Florida Statute 163.045(4))
Read the Florida Legislature's Section 163.045, not a generic “dangerous tree” exemption. An HOA common area, commercial site, institution, condominium grounds or multifamily building is not the qualifying single-family detached property described by that definition. (Florida Statute 163.045(1)(b))
The municipal health and hazard provisions remain a separate documentary route; they are not the same test as the statute's signed onsite risk assessment. (Section 183-3; Section 183-4(A); Section 183-4(B); Section 183-4(E); Florida Statute 163.045(1)(a); Florida Statute 163.045(2)) No city notice explaining Section 163.045 was located in the reviewed tree form, permits page, forms page or permit-or-no-permit sheet on October 5, 2026. (City Applications, Checklists and Forms page) This guide does not determine which route governs a particular property.
What penalties and enforcement remedies can apply?
The city code provides a general civil fine of up to $500 where no specific penalty exists, with each continuing day a separate offense; the separate magistrate process allows up to $250 per day for a first violation, $500 per day for a repeat violation and $5,000 per irreparable or irreversible violation under its stated findings. (Section 1-16(A); Section 12-49(D)) These are different enforcement mechanisms, not a single automatic tree-removal charge.
The former Chapter 183 penalty section was superseded by Ordinance No. 2000-02, according to the editor's note at Section 183-8. (Section 183-8) Section 1-16 was amended by Ordinance No. 2003-01 on April 8, 2003, and Chapter 12 was replaced by Ordinance No. 2012-06 on January 8, 2013; those are the recorded enactment dates, not independently established historical effective dates. (Section 1-16; Chapter 12)
Section 1-16(E) labels its printed citation schedule as February 2003 and automatically incorporates subsequent county court schedule changes; subsection F classifies an otherwise unlisted violation as Class V unless the code assigns another class. (Section 1-16(E)(1); Section 1-16(E)(2); Section 1-16(F)) This guide does not publish the old table as today's citation charge because current attachment amendments could not be conclusively verified. (Sixth Judicial Circuit Administrative Order 2018-068)
Ordinary notice-and-correction procedures have exceptions for repeat violations, serious threats and irreparable or irreversible violations. (Section 1-16(D)) The magistrate process can impose repair costs in the circumstances specified by Section 12-49(B). (Section 12-49(B)) Recorded orders can create liens against the violation property and other property of the violator, permit foreclosure proceedings after three months of an unpaid recorded lien, and prohibit foreclosure of a Chapter 12 lien on constitutional homestead property. (Section 12-51(A)) Section 12-52 generally limits lien duration to 20 years unless an action begins within that period. (Section 12-52)
What replacement trees are required?
For a city-issued removal permit, the ordinary rule is relocation or one-for-one replacement, not replacement by trunk inch; the less-desirable-species route additionally requires an approved native tree, while a qualifying Section 163.045 removal cannot carry local replanting requirements. (Section 183-6(A); Section 183-7(E); Florida Statute 163.045(3))
City replacement condition | Requirement |
|---|---|
Count | Relocate removed trees or replace one for one. (Section 183-6(A)) |
Planting height | At least six feet when planted. (Section 183-6(A)) |
Mature potential | At least 15 feet. (Section 183-6(A)) |
Survival | The property owner must replace relocated or replacement trees that die within two years of placement. (Section 183-6(B)) |
No city tree bank, tree-replacement fee-in-lieu or inch-based mitigation table was found in the whole city code search on October 5, 2026. (South Pasadena Code of Ordinances) The surface-water treatment payment in Section 130-74(A)(2) serves the Water Quality Enhancement Trust Fund and is not a tree-replacement payment alternative. (Section 130-74(A)(2))
What changes on commercial, multifamily, HOA and institutional property?
If you manage an HOA common area, condominium grounds, commercial site or institution, the city tree definition, removal grounds and replacement rules are not replaced by a separate non-residential tree regime in the reviewed code, and the statute's single-family detached-property route does not extend to those shared or non-residential uses. (South Pasadena Code of Ordinances; Florida Statute 163.045(1)(b))
For existing approved landscaping, Section 130-20(K) makes owners, tenants and their agents jointly and severally responsible for maintaining landscape areas in healthy, orderly condition. (Section 130-20(K)) A change in plant species is exempt from site plan review under Section 130-21(B)(2), but Section 130-43 requires the department to determine whether site-plan approval or modification is required for a construction project. (Section 130-21(B)(2); Section 130-43) Ask the department to reconcile the proposed removal with the property's approved plan and conditions; neither provision says every tree removal automatically requires a plan amendment.
Chapter 183 does not publish a separate HOA or company authorization procedure, and the current form provides a contractor-or-agent signature line rather than a distinct association authorization form. (South Pasadena Code of Ordinances; 2017 Tree Removal/Replacement application) Establish the representative's authority and the department's filing requirements before submission.
What must development, redevelopment and clearing projects address?
If you are building a pool, adding to a building, redeveloping a commercial site or clearing land, tree protection applies to all land development projects even when no tree removal permit is required. (Section 183-5(D)) A development- or redevelopment-based removal request must include a tree location survey, and the design must minimize removal. (Section 183-3; Section 183-4(D))
Sequencing and plans
Under Section 130-21(A), new structures, expansions, occupancy changes affecting parking or circulation, and specified shoreline structures need site plan review unless a subsection B exemption applies. (Section 130-21(A)) Exemptions include single-family and two-family dwellings on a lot in a valid recorded subdivision approved before the land development code, changes in plant species or increases in landscaped or pervious area, qualifying low decks or walkways, small utility sheds, fences, flagpoles, docks and boat lifts, and qualifying interior or exterior modifications. (Section 130-21(B))
Before construction permits issue, Community Improvement must determine that all applicable city-code development requirements for the proposed project have been satisfied. (Section 130-43) That sequencing is not permission to clear first and obtain the tree permit later.
The required tree location survey is an aerial photograph or drawing at one inch equals 200 feet showing all tree locations, setbacks, easements, existing and proposed structures and improvements, removal or relocation markings, and the location, type and size of proposed replacements. (Section 183-1, definition of tree location survey) The municipal definition does not prescribe a professional credential for that tree survey. (South Pasadena Code of Ordinances)
Final site plans separately require a certified boundary survey, environmentally sensitive areas and a landscape plan identifying open-space areas. (Section 130-22(B)(4); Section 130-22(B)(7); Section 130-22(B)(14)) Architectural, landscape architectural, engineering or surveying portions must be certified by the responsible individual and bear the seal, registration number and identifying contact information. (Section 130-22(A)(1))
The site-plan procedure provides notice of completeness or additional information within 10 days of submittal and an approval, conditional approval or disapproval within 60 days after receipt of all required additional information. (Section 130-22(A)(2); Section 130-22(A)(3)) Those are site-plan provisions, not a tree-permit turnaround promise.
Preservation and construction barriers
Before and during land clearing, owners, developers or contractors must flag permitted removals in red and erect barriers around protected trees at least six feet from the trunk or at the drip line, whichever is farther out. (Section 183-5(A)) Equipment, materials, debris and fill cannot be moved or stored inside those barriers. (Section 183-5(A))
The protective barrier definition calls for a physical structure of wooden two-by-fours or other suitable materials completely encircling and protecting the tree; tape or easily moved components are unacceptable. (Section 183-1, definition of protective barrier) The drip line is the imaginary vertical line from the outermost branches or leaf crown to the ground. (Section 183-1, definition of drip line)
During construction, harmful equipment cleaning, waste storage or waste disposal inside a tree's drip line is prohibited, and damaging attachments, wires, signs or permits cannot be fastened to protected trees. (Section 183-5(B); Section 183-5(C)) No separate tree-specific root-pruning procedure, barrier inspection schedule or replacement-planting deadline was located in the whole-code search; do not read that silence as permission to damage roots or postpone a permit condition. (South Pasadena Code of Ordinances)
Landscape trees, credits and special districts
If your project has off-street parking or vehicular-use areas above 1,500 square feet or four or more parking spaces, Section 130-20 applies except to single-family dwellings, duplex dwellings and mobile homes. (Section 130-20(B)) Its tree-bearing requirements are:
Landscaping component | Code requirement |
|---|---|
Planting area | Each separate area is at least 50 square feet with a minimum dimension of five feet. (Section 130-20(F)) |
Trees | At least one tree with five feet of clear trunk per separate landscaped area, and not fewer than one tree per 100 square feet or fraction of required interior landscaping; remaining plants cannot exceed 36 inches in height. (Section 130-20(G)) |
Existing-plant credit | The Building Official may adjust the standards for healthy existing plant material when consistent with the section's intent; relocated required interior landscaping is additional to perimeter requirements. (Section 130-20(I)) |
Encroachment protection | Curbing or wheel stops must be at least one foot from abutting required landscape areas, and trees or shrubs over two feet cannot be planted within two feet of the landscape-area perimeter. (Section 130-20(J)) |
Parking-space landscape area, other vehicular-use area and combined-area calculations, and uninterrupted-row limits require project-specific review under Section 130-20(C), (D), (E), (H)(1) and (H)(2). (Section 130-20(C); Section 130-20(D); Section 130-20(E); Section 130-20(H)(1); Section 130-20(H)(2))
Commercial General sites require at least 20% pervious green space with grass, trees and shrubs. (Section 130-15(F)) Buildings above 20 feet or 32 feet in overall height trigger the additional green-space provisions in Section 130-15(D). (Section 130-15(D)) In the Planned Redevelopment district, Section 130-18.1's design guidelines call for streetscape landscaping and a buffer between travel lanes and the sidewalk whenever possible. (Section 130-18.1(C)(2)(c)[4]) The parking guidelines include perimeter landscaping and internal landscape islands consistent with any master corridor landscape plan and city standards. (Section 130-18.1(C)(2)(c)[3]) Approved plans and conditions become part of, or are referenced in, the development agreement. (Section 130-18.1(D)(3)(b)[5])
Preservation-district development requires site-plan review, design minimizing natural-system impacts, a professional impact study and proof of required threatened- or endangered-species permits; Aquatic Lands rules separately prohibit adverse environmental effects and alteration of soils, vegetation or water levels. (Section 130-16(F); Section 130-17(D)) Single-family landscaping, general site-design planting and marina green-space rules also need project-specific review under Sections 130-8(E), 130-26(D) and 130-29(B). (Section 130-8(E); Section 130-26(D); Section 130-29(B))
Project fees and land alteration
The codified site-plan fee is $250 for residential projects and $500 for commercial projects, payable at submittal, separately from the tree application charge and subject to additional professional-review reimbursement where required. (Section A198-1 fee schedule) The historical instruments and effective dates for those individual fee rows were not located in the city records searched October 5, 2026; confirm charges with the department. (City Agendas and Minutes archive)
The stormwater definition of development includes structure demolition or removal, vegetation clearing, scraping or grubbing, and soil disturbance or fill. (Section 130-72, definition of development or development activity) New development or redevelopment needs a surface water management permit before construction, except redevelopment of an individual single-family home on a site with at least 40% pervious area. (Section 130-73(A))
Surface-water applications must be signed and sealed by a registered professional engineer, with engineer certification upon completion that the system was built to the approved plan. (Section 130-74(A)(2); Section 130-74(E)) The city can inspect during construction and operation, and its permit does not replace other agencies' permits. (Section 130-74(D); Section 130-74(G)) Illegal stormwater development can be restrained or abated, require restoration and lead to corrective-action costs becoming a property lien. (Section 130-76(A); Section 130-76(B))
Contractors and bid screening
Section 183-2 reaches the person assisting removal as well as the person removing or allowing removal, and Section 183-5 expressly places construction-protection duties on owners, developers and contractors. (Section 183-2; Section 183-5(A)) The business-tax rules distinguish a business located in the city from registration of an outside business receipt, and class 87 names “Landscapers and tree surgeons.” (Section 146-2(A); Section 146-2(B); Section 146-18, business class 87)
The city's permits page says the contractor's insurance carrier must submit general-liability proof naming the city as certificate holder, plus workers' compensation or an exemption letter, before a contractor can receive a city permit. (Community Improvement permits page) Ask a bidder who will secure the permit, what carrier documentation the city has received, and how protected trees and replacement conditions are addressed; these are checks against the city's requirements, not credentials claimed by Ken's Tree Service.
The city also warns that demolition or construction begun without required permits can trigger a stop-work order. (Community Improvement permits page) The applicable tree penalties and liens are described in the enforcement section, while right-of-way and utility authorizations are distinct and addressed in their own section.
Appeals and variances have conflicting text
Section 130-22(A)(4) still routes a site-plan appeal to the Planning and Zoning Board within 30 days of the Building Official's written decision, while the Section 130-53 editor's note says that board provision was repealed January 12, 2016 by Ordinance No. 2015-09. (Section 130-22(A)(4); Section 130-53) Section 130-54(A) instead sends Building Official appeals to the City Commission and also prints that appeals from City Commission decisions go to the City Commission. (Section 130-54(A))
Chapter 183 contains no tree-permit appeal section, so ask Community Improvement for the operative route and deadline for a tree-permit denial rather than applying the defective site-plan text to it. (South Pasadena Code of Ordinances) Chapter 130 variance requests go to the City Commission under Sections 130-46 and 130-47, with all six findings required unless the code supplies different or additional criteria. (Section 130-46; Section 130-47(A); Section 130-47(B))
Stormwater final decisions have a 20-day written appeal route in Section 130-74(F), while stormwater violation notices state a 15-day appeal period in Section 130-76(C)(6). (Section 130-74(F); Section 130-76(C)(6)) A final code-enforcement magistrate order goes to circuit court within 30 days of execution, on review of the existing record rather than a new hearing. (Section 12-53) These deadlines concern different decisions and must not be interchanged.
How do you apply for a South Pasadena tree removal permit?
Apply to the Community Improvement Department using the currently linked Tree Removal/Replacement application; the listed ordinary removal or relocation fee is $25 per tree, subject to the nuisance-species exemption, no-fee species route and qualifying state-law route. (Section 183-3; 2017 Tree Removal/Replacement application; Section A198-1 fee schedule) The fee's adopting instrument and effective date were not located in the records searched October 5, 2026, so confirm the current charge with the department. (City Agendas and Minutes archive)
The city's posted Summary of Fees PDF also lists the tree application at $25 per tree. (City Summary of Fees) That agreement on the tree row does not establish that every other row in the PDF is current.
Section 183-3 requires the application to be accompanied by the processing fee set from time to time by City Commission resolution. (Section 183-3)
Confirm the parcel and proposed activity. Use the county address lookup and ask the department to identify the applicable city ground or exception before cutting.
Use the currently posted form. The city's Applications, Checklists and Forms page currently links the 2017 tree application. (City Applications, Checklists and Forms page)
Prepare the documents. The form asks for a signed contract or proposal and a site plan or drawing locating removals and replacements. (2017 Tree Removal/Replacement application) It also asks for a filed Notice of Commencement when proposed work is at least $2,500; that is the form's instruction, not a conclusion here about today's applicability to your project. (2017 Tree Removal/Replacement application)
Add the required support. Address the form's arborist instruction, any health or hazard evidence and the tree location survey for development, without treating one document as proof of approval.
Use a verified submission route. The city's Permits and Licenses page says permits can be uploaded, submitted at the department office or sent by email. (Community Improvement permits page) The city-linked online portal did not expose a tree-removal application in the public catalog reviewed October 5, 2026, so tree-specific portal filing remains unconfirmed. (City online permitting portal) Email or deliver the posted application, or ask the department which portal category it actually accepts for trees.
Obtain the deciding department's response. Confirm the authorized work, replacement species and location, timing and any related project approvals before proceeding.
Contact the Community Improvement Department, 727-343-4192, buildingdepartment@mysouthpasadena.com, at 6940 Hibiscus Ave. South, South Pasadena, FL 33707. (Community Improvement permits page) The city's permits page lists public hours of Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (Community Improvement permits page) The city's Contact Us page instead lists Community Improvement hours of Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (City Contact Us page) It also says permits are issued until 3:00 p.m. (City Contact Us page) Both statements were live when checked October 5, 2026; call the department to confirm public access and permit-counter hours before visiting. (City Contact Us page) Ask whether the currently linked 2017 form is the accepted version and request the native replacement list.
Where do city guidance and the code differ?
The municipal code supplies the legal provisions, while the application and website supply administrative guidance; the currently posted arborist instruction is broader than Section 183-3's express health-specific and discretionary hazard requirements. (Section 183-3; 2017 Tree Removal/Replacement application) The application and portal observations should not be treated as an amendment to Chapter 183.
The older 2012 application still available on a former document host describes re-landscaping for increased canopy without carrying Section 183-4(F)'s listed-species and specimen-tree exclusion; use the currently linked form and the full code ground instead. (Older 2012 Tree Removal/Replacement application; Section 183-4(F)) The current permit-or-no-permit sheet says “This list is NOT all inclusive” and does not list tree removal, so omission from that sheet is not a tree-permit exemption. (City Permit or No Permit sheet)
There is also a fee-history defect: A198-1's amendment header calls the September 12, 2005 instrument No. 2005-23 an ordinance, but the Disposition List calls it a resolution. (Section A198-1 fee schedule; South Pasadena Disposition List) Neither label alone proves which instrument established the tree fee.
Is your property inside the city or in another jurisdiction?
Use the Pinellas County Address Lookup Tool to check whether the parcel is in a municipality or unincorporated Pinellas County; the county instructs users to enter the full address including city. (Pinellas County Address Lookup Tool) Do not select a tree ordinance from the mailing city alone.
For related reading, compare the unincorporated Pinellas County guide, St. Petersburg guide, Gulfport guide and St. Pete Beach guide. Those neighboring guides are not authority for South Pasadena's tree rules.
What about right-of-way trees and utility work?
Work installing, maintaining, removing or relocating something within, on, under or above a city public right-of-way requires the separate right-of-way permit under Section 176-15, and planting a tree or shrub there requires Public Works' written permission and a landscaping covenant. (Section 176-15; Section 183-8(A)) A right-of-way permit is additional to other required permits. (Section 176-16)
The fee schedule lists a $100 right-of-way permit charge, with the chapter heading recording addition by Resolution No. 2020-06 on July 1, 2020; the underlying instrument's effective clause was not located in this review. (Section A198-1 fee schedule; City Agendas and Minutes archive) Section 176-17 requires "a surety in the amount of 110% of the estimated cost of the construction", allows the Building Official to waive it in special circumstances with no public risk, and exempts utility companies regulated by the Public Service Commission. (Section 176-17)
The cable franchise permits trimming over public ways to prevent contact with the company's wires and requires city notification before trimming; the electric franchise separately authorizes tree and limb work near facilities with its stated public-way and local-rule conditions. (Section A196-27(E); Section A197-9) Those are franchise-specific authorities, not permission for a homeowner or contractor to perform utility work.
For a dock application, Section 86-5(D)(7) requires the location of mangroves on upland or submerged property. (Section 86-5(D)(7)) In coastal high-hazard areas, Section 108-60 permits alteration of mangrove stands only with DEP approval and the required engineering analysis showing no increased flood-damage potential. (Section 108-60)
What does the South Pasadena code not say?
The October 5, 2026 whole-code search found no general private-tree pruning permit procedure, tree-replacement fee-in-lieu or tree bank, separate commercial tree threshold or mitigation rate, or tree-specific HOA/company application authorization procedure. (South Pasadena Code of Ordinances) It also found no express Section 163.045 reference, tree-permit appeal section, or tree-specific replacement deadline, root-pruning procedure or inspection schedule. (South Pasadena Code of Ordinances)
These are findings about the harvested city code, not about a property's prior approval conditions, future legislation or every rule another agency may apply. Obtain the deciding office's direction where the text leaves the practical answer open.
What was searched for but not found?
On October 5, 2026, the city forms and department pages and related searches did not yield the approved native replacement list, a city Section 163.045 notice, or the historical instrument and effective date setting the $25 tree fee and the individual site-plan fee rows. (City Applications, Checklists and Forms page; City Agendas and Minutes archive)
The city's Agendas and Minutes archive was checked for posted records from late 2024 through October 5, 2026, including the current October 6 agenda documents. (City Agendas and Minutes archive) No adopted change to Chapter 183, the tree fee or the reviewed landscape and right-of-way provisions was located in those records. (City Agendas and Minutes archive) The posted October 6 Administrative Workshop agenda lists a commercial-corridor regulations overview and local food-truck regulations. (October 6, 2026 Administrative Workshop agenda) The city archive marks that workshop canceled. (City Agendas and Minutes archive) Agenda items are not adopted tree law; recheck any rescheduling and later records before release.
Sources and scope
This guide uses South Pasadena's Chapter 183, Trees, its linked land-development, fee, enforcement and right-of-way provisions, and the current city form and administrative pages checked October 5, 2026. The eCode360 New Laws page lists 12 adopted laws awaiting codification, so its list is not a set of pending proposals. (South Pasadena New Laws list) The code states no codified-through point; its individual section histories should not be represented as proof that all later city action has been incorporated. (South Pasadena Code of Ordinances)
Where does this leave your tree or project?
A tree meeting a documented removal ground may be a candidate for removal, while another situation may be a candidate for pruning; the decision about a South Pasadena permit or project belongs with Community Improvement. This regional guide does not determine a particular tree's condition, approve a project or recommend work.
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. South Pasadena is outside that service area, and this guide is a regional reference rather than an offer of work or an assessment there; for projects within our service area, our number is 727-934-5804.
Send property-specific plans, maps and approval questions to the deciding public office. For questions about the code explained in this guide, start a conversation with our website agent, the chat on this page.