St. Petersburg Tree Ordinances: Permits, Pruning and Development
Last reviewed September 29, 2026. Next review due March 29, 2027. By Forest, Property Intelligence Specialist, Ken's Tree Service.
St. Petersburg generally requires a tree removal permit for Grand, Protected and Signature trees and qualifying native palms, subject to species exceptions, required-landscaping rules and the qualifying Florida hazardous-tree exemption. (City tree-protection code; Florida Statute 163.045) The city's ordinance also regulates pruning, replacement planting, construction around retained trees and commercial landscaping, so a removal-permit answer is only part of the picture. (Section 16.40.060)
Not sure which government governs your property? Start with our City or County? tree-permit jurisdiction guide, then use this article for St. Petersburg's municipal rules.
Where should you start?
First confirm the property's jurisdiction using the Pinellas County address lookup, which distinguishes municipal and unincorporated addresses. (Pinellas County) Then identify the property's use, the tree species and measurements, and the work you are considering.
For a useful conversation with the city, have these details ready:
Property: Address, parcel information, current use and zoning.
Tree: Species, trunk diameter, location and whether an approved landscape plan identifies it.
Activity: Removal, branch pruning, relocation, root disturbance or construction nearby.
Project: Existing landscape obligations, proposed building or parking changes, and any enforcement notice.
If the parcel is unincorporated rather than inside St. Petersburg, use our Pinellas County tree-permit guide as a separate starting point. Do not transfer a city's thresholds to another jurisdiction without checking that jurisdiction's rules.
This is a public reference, not a permit approval, a tree-risk assessment or legal advice about a particular property. The city and the appropriate qualified professionals must evaluate the facts of an individual case.
Which trees and palms are protected in St. Petersburg?
St. Petersburg classifies trees by species, size and category rather than using one diameter for every tree. (Section 16.90.020.3) A species exemption does not erase an approved landscape plan or required-landscaping obligation, and activity qualifying under Florida Statute 163.045 follows the separate state-law rule explained below. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.6.C; Florida Statute 163.045)
Category | Classification or permit threshold |
|---|---|
Protected shade tree | A shade tree at least 4 inches in diameter at breast height, excluding trees identified as unprotected or prohibited. (Section 16.90.020.3) |
Protected understory tree | An understory tree at least 8 inches in diameter at breast height, subject to those exclusions. (Section 16.90.020.3) |
Grand tree | A Protected tree at least 30 inches in diameter at breast height, except Laurel Oaks. (Section 16.90.020.3) |
Signature tree | Jacaranda or Royal Poinciana at least 8 inches in diameter at breast height, or Banyan or Kapok at least 30 inches. (Section 16.90.020.3) |
Native palm | Removal requires a permit at 4 feet or more of clear trunk, measured from the base of the lowest green frond to the ground, subject to any applicable state-law exemption. (Section 16.40.060.5.3.B; Florida Statute 163.045) |
A Laurel Oak excluded from the Grand category can still be a Protected shade tree; “not Grand” does not mean “unregulated.” (Section 16.90.020.3) The Signature definition is inclusive: a Jacaranda or Royal Poinciana at exactly 8 inches DBH, or a Banyan or Kapok at exactly 30 inches DBH, meets that classification. (Section 16.90.020.3)
How do you measure a tree?
Diameter at breast height, or DBH, is the diameter in inches measured at 4½ feet above the existing grade. (Section 16.90.020.3) For a native palm, use the clear-trunk measurement in the table, and for the Grand-tree pruning trigger, measure the branch at its collar rather than applying trunk DBH to the limb. (Section 16.40.060.5.3.B and C)
Do not substitute stump width, canopy spread or a photograph-based estimate for the required measurement. If the trunk forks or has an unusual form at the measuring point, document it and ask city staff how they want the measurement recorded.
Does the ordinance favor keeping trees?
Grand-tree removal has narrower approval grounds than removal of other regulated trees, and applicable commercial development must retain a specified portion of existing specimen-tree inches. (Section 16.40.060.5.4; Section 16.40.060.2.1.3) For planning purposes, identify trees to preserve before fixing a building footprint, parking layout or construction-access route.
What makes a tree eligible for a removal permit?
The city evaluates a municipal removal application against different criteria for Grand trees and other regulated trees; an owner's preference alone is not one of the listed grounds. (Section 16.40.060.5.4.A) This is the municipal approval process, separate from the fully documented state-law exemption.
Grand trees
The code identifies three removal grounds after an application is filed and applicable requirements are met:
Hazard associated with an existing structure: Proximity makes the Grand tree a safety hazard to public or private property; a signed licensed-engineer report may support the application. (Section 16.40.060.5.4.A.1.a)
Declining condition: The tree is diseased, injured or declining with no reasonable assurance of regaining vigor, supported by a written report signed by a certified arborist. (Section 16.40.060.5.4.A.1.b)
An approved improvement or access point: A signed report from a licensed architect, landscape architect or engineer determines that the proposed structure, improvement or access cannot reasonably be redesigned to preserve the Grand tree. (Section 16.40.060.5.4.A.1.c)
These credentials describe the city's required or permitted supporting professionals, not credentials held by Ken's Tree Service. Ask the city which report is needed before commissioning it.
Other trees requiring permits
The separate criteria address trees within approved improvements or access locations, specified hazards, disease or decline without reasonable assurance of recovery, compatible use of a sufficiently treed site, and qualified solar access. (Section 16.40.060.5.4.A.2) For the solar-access ground, the supporting documentation must address why there is no reasonable alternative equipment location or reasonable pruning option. (Section 16.40.060.5.4.A.2.e)
Oversized properties can be required to retain more trees based on the zoning district's minimum lot size. (Section 16.40.060.5.4.A.2.f) For residential lots, the zoning table sets NT-1's minimum at 4,500 square feet and NT-2's at 5,800; the removal provision's illustration incorrectly labels 5,800 as NT-1, while the residential-landscaping example correctly identifies it as NT-2. (Section 16.20.010.5; Section 16.40.060.5.4; Section 16.40.060.2.1.1) Apply the proportional rule using the actual district standard rather than treating the mislabeled example as the rule.
Do dead trees, storms or hazardous trees change the permit answer?
A dead, diseased or storm-damaged tree is not automatically exempt merely because of its condition: the municipal approval criteria, any authorized emergency waiver and the qualifying state-law exemption are separate routes. (Section 16.40.060.5.3; Section 16.40.060.5.4; Florida Statute 163.045) Identify which route actually applies before treating the work as permit-exempt.
The city's emergency provision allows the POD, the official administering these regulations, to waive requirements upon a finding that the waiver is necessary to avoid impeding work restoring order after a hurricane, windstorm, flood, freeze or other disaster. (Section 16.40.060.5.3.G) A storm forecast or a past storm is not itself the finding and waiver described in that provision.
The code also prohibits leaving a dead or diseased tree or branch in danger of falling onto a right-of-way or another person's property. (Section 16.40.060.3.1.G) That maintenance obligation should be addressed together with the applicable permit or exemption process, not mistaken for a blanket removal authorization.
When does Florida Statute 163.045 eliminate local tree-permit requirements?
Florida Statute 163.045 applies when the property meets its narrow residential definition and the owner possesses the specified signed onsite professional assessment documenting an unacceptable risk; it is not a general exemption for every residential, dead or unhealthy tree. (Florida Statute 163.045(1) and (2)) When its conditions are met, local government may not impose the listed notice, application, approval, permit, fee or mitigation requirements, or require replanting, but the statute excludes specifically delegated mangrove-protection authority. (Florida Statute 163.045(2), (3) and (4))
All parts of the test matter:
Eligible property: A single-family detached building on a lot actively used for single-family residential purposes, as either a conforming use or a legally recognized nonconforming use under local land-development regulations. (Florida Statute 163.045(1)(b))
Qualified professional and documentation: An onsite assessment performed and signed by an ISA-certified arborist or a Florida-licensed landscape architect, using the procedures in Best Management Practices: Tree Risk Assessment, Second Edition (2017). (Florida Statute 163.045(1)(a))
Required risk finding: Removal is the only practical means of mitigating the tree's risk below moderate under those procedures. (Florida Statute 163.045(2))
Possession of the documentation: The property owner must possess the qualifying documentation for the statutory protection to apply. (Florida Statute 163.045(2))
A duplex, multifamily property or commercial site does not become eligible merely because someone describes it as residential or obtains an arborist's letter; the statutory building-and-use definition still controls. (Florida Statute 163.045(1)(b)) Conversely, the statute expressly recognizes legally established nonconforming single-family uses, so commercial zoning alone should not substitute for examining that legal-use status. (Florida Statute 163.045(1)(b))
The city encourages owners to email qualifying documentation to [email protected] to help avoid misunderstandings, but that request is not the same as a statutory requirement to obtain local approval first. (City forestry guidance; Florida Statute 163.045(2)) A website conversation cannot determine whether a particular report or property satisfies the law.
Can you prune or relocate a tree instead of removing it?
St. Petersburg requires a permit to trim a Grand-tree branch measuring 8 inches or more at the branch collar, subject to any applicable state-law exemption; pruning below that trigger still must comply with applicable maintenance rules. (Section 16.40.060.5.3; Section 16.40.060.3.1; Florida Statute 163.045) Relocation has its own permit and planning requirements rather than operating as an automatic exception to removal review. (Section 16.40.060.5.7)
Pruning standards
The maintenance provision begins with an exception for species listed as unprotected or prohibited, prohibits damaging, topping, poisoning or injuring trees within its scope, and requires pruning that preserves natural form, growth habit and character. (Section 16.40.060.3.1.C) Its canopy limit reads: “Not more than one-quarter of the tree canopy shall be trimmed or pruned in any year unless it is dead.” (Section 16.40.060.3.1.C.2)
For Grand-tree trimming permits, the code considers specified limb condition, hazard, clearance and public-welfare grounds and requires work consistent with ANSI A300, subject to the POD's narrowly conditioned variation authority. (Section 16.40.060.5.4.B) Do not read the canopy limit as permission to top a tree or as a substitute for a required Grand-tree trimming permit.
Branches above sidewalks must provide at least 8 feet of vertical clearance, and branches above streets and alleys at least 14 feet. (Section 16.40.060.3.1.F) Coordinate those clearance duties with any applicable pruning approval rather than treating clearance as an exemption.
Relocation and survival
The relocation provision requires a tree-removal permit and a relocation plan prepared by a certified arborist or licensed landscape architect; the permit fee may be waived if the specified ANSI-based survival measures are implemented. (Section 16.40.060.5.7, paragraph 1) The plan can address watering, advance root pruning, protection during transport, the receiving location and aftercare. (Section 16.40.060.5.7, paragraph 1)
A tree moved elsewhere on the same site can count as an existing tree of the same size for minimum-tree compliance; if a relocated tree used for that compliance dies, the provision requires replacement within 90 days with a like number of trees. (Section 16.40.060.5.7, paragraphs 2 and 3) Relocation is therefore a planning alternative with continuing obligations, not simply permission to move a tree and forget it.
Which species are unprotected or prohibited?
Unprotected and prohibited species generally have a tree-removal-permit exemption, but the code qualifies it for trees on an approved landscape plan or otherwise required by the landscaping section. (Section 16.40.060.5.3; Section 16.40.060.2.1.6) Signature classifications also matter, so a listed common name alone is not enough to decide the question.
The city's unprotected list includes Avocado, Camphor, Cherry Laurel, Citrus, Ear Tree, Eucalyptus other than the silver dollar variety, Ficus, Italian Cypress, Jacaranda, Jerusalem Thorn, Kapok, Loquat, Mango, Monkey Puzzle Tree, Norfolk Island Pine, Orchid Tree other than Bauhinia variegata, Royal Poinciana, Silk Oak, Toog and Woman's Tongue, with the table's Signature-tree qualifications. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.6.C) Use the scientific names in the official table to resolve identification, especially where common names overlap.
The prohibited list includes Earleaf Acacia, Australian Pines, Brazilian Pepper, Carrotwood, Chinaberry, Chinese Tallow, Lead Tree, Melaleuca/Punk and Strangler Fig, Ficus aurea. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.6.D) These are the city's classifications, not a claim that every listed species has the same ecological status.
The code prohibits planting or selling its prohibited species, and development or redevelopment requiring a landscaping permit or landscape plan must remove prohibited trees from the property and adjoining right-of-way and include a regrowth-prevention plan before certificate-of-occupancy approval. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.6.D) Coordinate that obligation with the approved plan and authority over the work area rather than assuming a species list resolves every site condition.
What must residential properties retain or replace?
New one- and two-unit residential development generally requires at least two shade trees, subject to the code's substitutions and larger-lot rules, while existing properties already meeting the minimum must maintain it and the existing-property provision does not automatically force an already-below-minimum site to add trees. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.1; Section 16.40.060.2.1.2) A qualifying removal under Florida Statute 163.045 is different because local government cannot require replanting for that qualifying activity. (Florida Statute 163.045(3))
For new one- and two-unit development, the city may allow one understory tree to substitute for one required shade tree where site constraints justify it, but the provision does not allow palms to substitute for shade trees. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.1, paragraph 1) Existing trees can provide credit when they meet the stated requirements, and larger properties require a lot-size-specific calculation. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.1)
Situation | Applicable replacement or adjustment |
|---|---|
One/two-unit removal makes the site fall below its required tree standard | One shade tree must be planted for each removed tree that creates the shortfall, under the municipal replacement provision. (Section 16.40.060.5.3.F) |
Planting under that provision is not reasonably possible | The POD may approve $500 per tree in lieu of planting; it is not an owner's automatic buyout option. (Section 16.40.060.5.3.F) |
Required vegetation dies or is removed | Failure to replace required vegetation is prohibited, and replacement must meet the section's size and grade requirements. (Section 16.40.060.3.1.K) |
Activity fully qualifies under the state hazardous-tree statute | Local replanting requirements are prohibited for that activity. (Florida Statute 163.045(3)) |
Unless otherwise specified, required newly planted shade trees must be at least 10 feet tall and 2 inches DBH, understory trees at least 8 feet tall and 1½ inches DBH, and palms at least 8 feet of clear trunk, with Florida Grade No. 1 quality and the applicable species and installation requirements. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.6.A) Those planting sizes are not the thresholds for regulating an existing tree.
What changes for commercial, multifamily and development projects?
Commercial and multifamily sites remain subject to the city's tree classifications and permit rules, but can also have landscape-plan, specimen-retention, construction-protection and occupancy obligations; the state hazardous-tree exemption is limited to the qualifying detached single-family property it defines. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.3; Section 16.40.060.5; Florida Statute 163.045(1)(b)) A condominium common area, shopping center or apartment property should not use a homeowner exemption as its approval path.
What triggers the development landscaping requirements?
For this section, development includes constructing a new building or a new parking area, while redevelopment includes specified commission review, additional parking, expansion of existing gross floor area by more than 15 percent, or building-permit work meeting the valuation test below. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.3.A) The valuation test uses the Property Appraiser's total ad valorem value of land and structure, not an owner's market-price estimate. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.3.A.2.d)
Total appraised value of land and structure, as bracketed in the code | Redevelopment cost that triggers this test |
|---|---|
Less than $50,000 | At least 50 percent. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.3.A) |
$50,000 to $99,999 | At least 45 percent. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.3.A) |
$100,000 to $149,999 | At least 40 percent. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.3.A) |
$150,000 to $199,999 | At least 35 percent. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.3.A) |
$200,000 to $249,999 | At least 30 percent. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.3.A) |
$250,000 or more | At least 25 percent. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.3.A) |
Smaller work is not necessarily outside landscaping review: an existing property without an approved landscape plan that performs permitted exterior work below those development/redevelopment definitions must provide landscaping worth at least 10 percent of the permitted work and obtain a landscape permit. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.3.A) Ask the city to classify the project before assuming that a modest renovation has no landscape consequence.
What if the tree appears on an approved landscape plan?
A landscape permit is required to alter, install or replace landscaping required by the commercial/multifamily section, including modification of landscaping required by a previously approved plan or needed to meet minimum standards. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.3.B) Replacing dead landscape material with like material has an exception, but not where a tree-removal permit is required. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.3.B)
Before changing species, relocating required trees or removing a plan-designated tree, ask staff what revised plan or approval is necessary. Do not treat a maintenance contract, board vote or ordinary species exemption as a substitute for that review.
How much existing tree material must remain?
The specimen-retention provision uses DBH inches, not a percentage of tree count, and excludes properties in CCT-2, CRT-2 and all DC districts from this particular retention requirement. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.3.D.8.a) A Specimen tree is a shade tree at least 12 inches DBH under the city's definitions. (Section 16.90.020.3)
Total existing specimen-tree DBH inches, using the code's stated brackets | Minimum percentage of those inches to preserve |
|---|---|
50 or less | 50 percent. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.3.D.8.a) |
51 to 100 | 40 percent. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.3.D.8.a) |
101 to 150 | 30 percent. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.3.D.8.a) |
Greater than 150 | 25 percent. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.3.D.8.a) |
The POD can approve a stated reduction tied to preserving Grand-tree inches, and existing specimen trees can also earn planting credit under a separate size-credit schedule. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.3.D.8.a) Have the city confirm the survey, fractional-inch treatment and approved credit calculation instead of treating the table as a stand-alone permit calculator.
Native plant communities have a different preservation test: specified residential or residential mixed-use developments above the coastal/noncoastal acreage thresholds must preserve at least 25 percent of native vegetation, while other new developments subject to special-exception or site-plan review generally use 10 percent below 5 acres and 15 percent at 5 acres or more. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.3.D.9.b) For the 25-percent category, the thresholds are greater than 2½ acres within the coastal high-hazard zone and greater than 20 acres outside it. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.3.D.9.b.1)
What belongs in the commercial plan?
The landscaping submittal calls for trees on the site and within 10 feet of it, with species and DBH, plant schedules, specimen-inch calculations, planting and barricade details, landscape areas and irrigation information. (Section 16.90.010.E) The city's construction memorandum separately asks about trees within 15 feet of proposed construction, including neighboring trees; that is a distance from construction rather than a substitute boundary-survey rule. (City memorandum)
Include an approved-plan check for:
Street and interior buffers: Exterior green-yard depth and planting density vary by zoning, while interior green yards have their own requirements and substitutions. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.3.D.1 and D.2)
Parking: Vehicular-use areas with more than 10 spaces generally require 10 percent interior landscaping, with a discretionary reduction to 5 percent for specified redevelopment districts and conditions. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.3.D.4.b)
Foundation planting and screening: Building-perimeter landscaping, mechanical-equipment screening, fences and dumpster enclosures have separate location-specific requirements and exceptions. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.3.D.3 through D.6)
Irrigation: The commercial landscape application includes an irrigation plan showing the required low-volume approach, zones and applicable micro-irrigation areas. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.3.B)
Those requirements interact with tree preservation; they should be designed together rather than adding replacement trees wherever space happens to remain. For a site with an awkward species-diversity or planting-credit boundary, obtain the city's calculation rather than assuming the most favorable interpretation.
What protection is required during construction?
For retained trees governed by the commercial landscape provision, barricade details must appear on the landscape plan, barriers must be installed before construction, and they remain until the POD authorizes removal. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.3.D.8.c) The same provision prohibits placing solvents, materials, construction machinery or soil deposits within 6 feet of the trunk or two-thirds of the dripline, whichever is greater, of a landscape-plan tree that will remain. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.3.D.8.c)
Grade changes within the dripline require an approved method of preserving the existing ground elevation around the tree. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.3.D.8.d) Required retained trees seriously damaged by construction must be replaced at a 2:1 ratio of DBH inches, in addition to other applicable penalties; this is not simply “plant two small trees.” (Section 16.40.060.2.1.3.D.8.d)
Root pruning should be addressed in the applicable professional plan, not improvised by an equipment operator. The code expressly includes it among potential measures in a relocation plan and in the certified-arborist preservation plan for the Neighborhood Traditional Grand-tree preservation FAR bonus. (Section 16.40.060.5.7; Section 16.20.010.5)
How do clearing, fill and occupancy affect sequencing?
In proposed subdivisions, preliminary-plat approval must precede excavation, fill or tree removal, with additional permit and engineering requirements for excavation and fill and tree-preservation/removal plans for plats over 3 acres. (Section 16.40.140.4.7) The separate preservation-area provision requires a POD permit to clear, disturb or remove vegetation or dead or living plant life located “within any preservation area.” (Section 16.40.060.3.2)
For projects subject to a landscape permit, the approved landscaping generally must be installed and accepted before the certificate of occupancy; a financial guarantee is available only under the stated conditions, not as an automatic postponement. (Section 16.70.030.1.4.C) Where the POD finds qualifying circumstances beyond the owner's control, the guarantee must be at least 110 percent of the estimated remaining work and in an acceptable form. (Section 16.70.030.1.4.C.1)
An unpermitted tree removal can stop development-permit issuance until the POD approves a restoration plan. (Section 16.40.060.5.3.E) Resolve tree decisions before mobilization, rather than trying to regularize the site after clearing.
Are there alternatives to required planting?
The code allows specified adjustments for unique site constraints, and permits payment in lieu only when planting is not reasonably possible and the POD approves it. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.7.A) These adjustments do not replace the separate state-law exemption or erase enforcement obligations.
Mechanism | Scope and limitation |
|---|---|
Landscape relocation | The POD may relocate required landscape materials or areas to other parts of the property or adjoining right-of-way under the stated site-constraint conditions. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.7.A.1) |
Payment in lieu | With the required finding and approval: $500 per tree and $150 per shrub or other vegetation under this landscape-adjustment provision. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.7.A.2) |
Certain site amenities | The landscape-permit provision allows specified public-purpose amenities at no less than a dollar-for-dollar ratio under its site-constraint conditions. (Section 16.70.030.1.4.D) |
Native-community variance mitigation | The special variance provision requires recreation of all three vegetation strata using materials at least twice the normally required size, with a conditioned off-site alternative; do not substitute an ordinary tree-fee calculation. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.7.C) |
What are the city tree-permit fees?
Fees depend on the property category, whether the tree is Grand, the number of trees and whether the application is after the fact; the ordinary application form is not a complete schedule for every case. (Section 12-6; Tree-removal application) The figures below are government fee components, not an all-in project quote, and local fees cannot be required for activity fully qualifying under Florida Statute 163.045. (Florida Statute 163.045(2))
Ordinary fee component | One- and two-unit residential | Three or more units and nonresidential |
|---|---|---|
Application and evaluation | $25. (Fee schedule) | $25. (Fee schedule) |
Removal permit issuance | $25. (Fee schedule) | $45 for the first two trees, plus $10 for each additional tree. (Fee schedule) |
Replant inspection and reinspections | Confirm applicable inspection charges with staff. | $25 each. (Fee schedule) |
Grand-tree charges are listed separately and all are per tree; ask staff to confirm the complete applicable combination of charges rather than adding categories by assumption. (Section 12-6) The published Grand-tree schedule is:
Grand-tree activity | One- and two-unit residential | Three or more units and nonresidential |
|---|---|---|
Trimming | $40. (Fee schedule) | $40. (Fee schedule) |
Removal permit issuance | $75. (Fee schedule) | $125. (Fee schedule) |
After-the-fact removal | $1,000. (Fee schedule) | $2,000. (Fee schedule) |
For development budgeting, the schedule also lists a $50 three-plus-unit/nonresidential zoning-review charge for landscaping and parking paving, including inspection; other project applications, reviews, permits and appeals have their own entries. (Section 12-6) Ask staff for a project-specific fee breakdown rather than using the removal fee as the full development budget.
Who applies, and what does the application need?
The city's tree-removal form requires the owner's signature and contact information and provides a separate owner-agent/tree-company field. (Tree-removal application) For a company or association, confirm who is authorized to sign for the owner and what evidence of that authority staff needs; a contractor's proposal or an individual resident's request should not be assumed to establish it.
Use the current tree-removal application and prepare:
Tree information: Species, trunk diameter, location and reason for the request for each tree. (Application)
Site plan: All trees shown by species and diameter, trees proposed for removal and retention, and a north arrow. (Application)
Owner authorization and access notes: The form's signed authorization and any locked-gate, dog or contact arrangements for inspection. (Application)
Supporting reports: The professional report required for the relevant Grand-tree criterion, a relocation plan if moving a tree, and applicable approved development or landscape plans. (Sections 16.40.060.5.4 and .5.7; Landscape-permit submittals)
The form directs completed applications to [email protected] and lists 727-463-5680 for the city. (Tree-removal application) Ask staff to identify the necessary review path before treating an application submission as approval to begin.
How long is a tree-removal permit valid?
The tree-removal permit is valid for six months after issuance, and if work has not commenced within that period it becomes void. (Section 16.70.030.1.12) Confirm the permit's current status and the necessary next application with staff before scheduling delayed work.
What happens if a tree is removed without a required permit?
The tree-protection penalty provision includes a $500 fine for each conviction, restricted after-the-fact permitting and mitigation, so $500 is not a cap on total consequences. (Section 16.40.060.5.6) The code also expressly places permit responsibility on tree-removal and construction companies, rather than treating owner permission as sufficient. (Section 16.40.060.5.5)
An after-the-fact permit is available only if the applicant demonstrates that the factors for removal “would have been met at the time the tree was removed,” and a second after-the-fact permit is barred under the provision's five-year repeat-violation conditions involving the person or site. (Section 16.40.060.5.6, paragraph 2) If the criteria would not have been met, paying a fee does not convert the removal into an approved one.
Ordinary after-the-fact fee, per tree | Published schedule |
|---|---|
One/two-unit residential | $150 for the first 12 inches, plus $50 for each inch above 12, capped at $500 under this fee entry; $500 where the stump is removed and inches are unknown. (Section 12-6) |
Three-plus-unit/nonresidential | $100 for the first 12 inches, plus $100 for each inch above 12, capped at $1,000 under this fee entry; $1,000 where the stump is removed and inches are unknown. (Section 12-6) |
The Grand-tree after-the-fact fees are the separate amounts in the Grand table, and none of these fee caps represents a cap on fines, restoration or mitigation. (Section 12-6; Section 16.40.060.5.6; Tree-protection penalties) Where the site lacks required trees, the penalty provision requires replacement at no less than the required count and an amount equivalent to the estimated DBH inches of the largest illegally removed tree, with value-based or combined alternatives described in the code. (Section 16.40.060.5.6, paragraphs 3 through 5)
Contractor responsibility, insurance and stop-work exposure
Keep three questions separate: whether the tree activity is authorized, whether the contractor has the credentials required for the work actually being performed, and whether appropriate insurance is in place. As a hiring precaution, ask for current insurance documentation and verify any claimed professional credential directly; this is not a claim that the tree code establishes one universal insurance limit or one license covering every activity.
For construction work involving a regulated trade, use the Pinellas County Contractor Licensing Department to check the applicable contractor category and eligibility. Ask the department about the actual scope of work rather than assuming that an unrelated construction license establishes authority for every tree or utility activity.
The city's tree rules expressly cover tree-removal and construction companies, and its enforcement chapter preserves tools including injunctions and stop-work orders. (Section 16.40.060.5.5; Section 9-41) A removal permit should therefore not be treated as a substitute for separate building, excavation, utility or right-of-way approvals that the project may need.
What does the tree code not prescribe?
Section 16.40.060 does not establish a separate tree-service contractor licensing or registration program, and it does not prescribe an insurance minimum for tree work under that section. (Section 16.40.060) These are limits of that section, not a statement that tree businesses are exempt from the rest of the city code or other applicable law.
The city's business-tax schedule expressly includes “Landscapers and tree surgeons,” and its business-tax provisions separately govern the applicable receipt and tax obligations. (Section 17-124; Section 17-135) The right-of-way service-provider framework also has insurance requirements for covered providers and their contractors, so do not extend the tree section's silence into a citywide insurance exemption. (Section 25-304)
The reviewed code's express root-pruning references are in the relocation plan and the Neighborhood Traditional Grand-tree preservation FAR-bonus plan. (Section 16.40.060.5.7; Section 16.20.010.5) That does not authorize unreviewed root cutting or displace the tree-damage and construction-protection rules.
Can you appeal a decision or request a landscape adjustment?
The tree provision allows the property owner to appeal a POD permit decision to the Development Review Commission, while the general appeal procedure and Decisions and Appeals Table govern the applicable route and exceptions. (Section 16.40.060.5.4.A.3; Section 16.70.010.6; Decisions and Appeals Table) Do not assume that every permit appeal, violation notice and court challenge uses the same deadline.
For an appeal governed by Section 16.70.010.6, written notice generally must reach the City Clerk by 5 p.m. on the fifteenth day after the decision; the POD decision date is when it is mailed, while a commission decision occurs at its final vote. (Section 16.70.010.6.D through F) The provision contains exceptions, including a different period for specified interpretation/letter appeals, and requires the applicable fees and costs with filing. (Section 16.70.010.6.D through F)
Lot-clearing notices have a different procedure: the owner generally has 10 calendar days after service to appeal, with five days after receipt for the specified repeat-violation notice. (Section 16.40.060.4.2) If the city clears a prohibited condition through that enforcement process, costs can become an assessment and lien. (Section 16.40.060.4.3; Section 16.40.060.4.4)
For landscaping, the code distinguishes POD adjustments, DRC variance requests and appeals of landscape-plan decisions. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.7) Contact staff or qualified counsel promptly with the actual decision or notice instead of calculating a deadline from a general article alone.
What about right-of-way trees, utilities and mangroves?
The city's maintenance provision assigns owners and occupants responsibilities for trees and vegetation on their property and in adjoining rights-of-way, but that duty is not a blanket authorization to remove a street tree or undertake utility work. (Section 16.40.060.3.1.A) Confirm ownership, the responsible public agency and any separate work approval before scheduling activity beyond the private parcel.
Trees and shrubs may not be planted in utility easements under the landscaping provision, and commercial planting rules also address conflicts with overhead and underground lines. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.5; Section 16.40.060.2.1.3) Required landscaping in adjoining rights-of-way must follow the applicable streetscape or code requirements rather than an owner's preferred layout. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.3.D.7)
Mangroves follow a separate framework: Pinellas County is a delegated mangrove authority, and trimming must qualify for an exemption or obtain the applicable permit. (FDEP delegated authorities; Pinellas mangrove guidance) Contact Pinellas County at 727-453-3385 for that path, and do not assume an ordinary city tree permit or Florida Statute 163.045 overrides delegated mangrove protection. (Pinellas County; Florida Statute 163.045(4))
What should contractors know about brush disposal and recent changes?
The codified brush-site rule limits deposits to material generated on qualified properties, conditions hired-service access, prohibits mixed-address loads and excludes specified construction-site deposits. (Section 27-505) Verify the site's current documentation requirements before hauling rather than assuming that possession of a tree permit alone authorizes disposal.
The city prohibits disposing of vegetative material into streets, alleys, waters or the storm-sewer system, and the maintenance provision specifies a $500 fine for each violation by a person performing compensated vegetation work. (Section 16.40.060.3.1.H) Disposal planning belongs in the scope of work, not at the end of the day after a truck has been loaded.
Two recent items require special care:
Brush-site proposal: The October 1, 2026 council packet schedules Ordinance 649-H for first reading and proposes changes concerning identification, documentation and appeals; as of this article's September 29 review, it is future agenda material, not a basis for stating a newly enacted requirement. (October 1 council packet)
Bird sanctuary: The May 28 action record reports approval of Ordinance 637-H, but its ordinance text conditions effectiveness on FWC approval of the sanctuary; this review did not establish that approval or its effective date. (May 28 action record; May 28 ordinance packet)
Do not assume a tree approval resolves a separate wildlife question. If birds, nests or protected wildlife may be affected, seek guidance from the appropriate agency before making a work decision; this article does not declare a blanket seasonal tree-work ban.
Where do city summaries and the detailed rules need careful reading?
Official summaries are useful, but several short answers need their underlying qualifications. Keep these distinctions in mind when comparing a webpage, application form and code provision:
“Two trees per residential lot”: The code distinguishes new development, existing properties and oversized lots, rather than imposing one identical installation obligation on every existing property. (Section 16.40.060.2.1.1; Section 16.40.060.2.1.2)
Commercial zoning and the state exemption: The statute includes legally recognized nonconforming detached single-family uses, which requires examining the actual legal-use status rather than stopping at the zoning label. (Florida Statute 163.045(1)(b))
Signature boundaries: The definition says “eight inches dbh or larger” and “30 inches dbh or larger”; those thresholds include trees exactly at the stated size, notwithstanding the species-table footnote's “over” wording. (Section 16.90.020.3; Section 16.40.060.2.1.6.C)
Basic application fees: The form's ordinary amounts do not replace the separate Grand-tree and other entries in the fee schedule. (Application; Section 12-6)
This guide is based on the cited municipal text and official guidance reviewed on September 29, 2026, with recent ordinance records checked separately from the code's May 14, 2026 codification cutoff. It is not an exhaustive zoning opinion, a wildlife clearance or a determination that every other applicable permit has been satisfied.
Where does this leave your tree or project?
The useful next step is to identify the parcel, the tree category, the proposed work and any existing plan obligations, then direct the actual application or professional question to the responsible reviewer. For a project spanning municipalities, use our city-or-county guide to find the appropriate jurisdiction's reference rather than assuming St. Petersburg's answer transfers across a boundary.
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 St. Petersburg guide is provided as a regional resource, not an offer to perform work in St. Petersburg; for projects within our service area, our number is 727-934-5804.
Want help finding the relevant rule in this guide or understanding how the general requirements fit together? Start with our website agent, the chat on this page; take site-specific plans, permit decisions and professional risk assessments to the city or the appropriate qualified professional.