Do You Need a Permit to Remove a Tree in Tarpon Springs, Florida?

Inside Tarpon Springs city limits, yes, unless the species is one of the 26 the code exempts: if a non-exempt tree measures 4 inches or more in diameter at breast height you need a City tree removal permit before it comes down, and a Cabbage Palm or a Sabal Palm needs one at any size. Mangroves are not a City permit question at all, and are dealt with separately below. It is called a Tree Removal Permit, it runs through the Building Development Department, and it means a written application with a drawing of your lot, a fee, an on-site inspection before issuance, and usually a replacement tree or a fee in lieu.

Our guide to whether city or county tree rules apply in north Pinellas sets Tarpon Springs beside the other north Pinellas cities that run their own tree ordinance. This article covers both tracks the city runs: the homeowner permit above, and the fuller development and commercial track for contractors, developers, site designers and managers of commercial, multifamily, HOA and institutional property.

Key facts, verified September 27, 2026

• Codified through: Ordinance No. 2025-19, enacted December 9, 2025

• Permit threshold: 4 inches DBH for a non-exempt species, any size for Cabbage Palm and Sabal Palm

• Mangroves: not a City permit matter, see the mangrove section

• Condition: required regardless of condition, so a dead tree is still permitted work

• Permit expiry: six months from approval

• Appeal window: 10 days, to the Board of Adjustment

• Penalty: four times the permit and replacement fees, each tree a separate offense

• Construction: no building permit without an approved tree permit, a tree survey signed by an ISA certified arborist, and barricades at least 20 feet from the trunk before any site work

• Non-residential fee: $50.00 per application for an existing multifamily or commercial property, $100.00 for new construction

• Department: Building Development, 727-942-5617

Where the tree law is, and where it is not

The Code of Ordinances carries a chapter headed Chapter 19, Trees, and it regulates nothing: the Chapter 19 text is an editor's note recording that former sections 19-1 through 19-21 were repealed and the material is now in Appendix A. Anyone citing Chapter 19 is citing repealed law. The operative division is Appendix A, Article IX, sections 133.00 through 133.10, Tree Protection and Preservation, with the fees at section 246.01.

The ordinance prohibits removal first

Section 133.00(A) makes it "unlawful to cut down, damage, poison, or in any other manner, destroy or cause to be destroyed any trees, except in accordance with the provisions of the tree protection requirements of the Tarpon Springs Code", and section 133.02(A) applies that "to real property within the limits of the City." So an established house with no construction planned is inside it, not just a development site. Replacement is mandatory under section 133.06(A), which requires City Staff to condition the permit on it, and the decision is discretionary: section 133.05(A) gives staff nine criteria, from safety hazard and disease through construction necessity to wildlife habitat, plus a public welfare catch-all.

What counts as a protected tree here?

Section 133.01(N) protects "any tree having a DBH of 4 inches or greater that is not specifically excluded from protection herein", and classifies all mangroves, Sabal Palms and Cabbage Palms as protected. The trigger at section 133.04(A) carries the clause that catches people out. A permit is needed to remove:

Except for those tree species listed as exempt or following a declared state of emergency in which trees become damaged in such a way that topping or excessive pruning by or at the direction of a governmental agency becomes necessary, it shall be unlawful for any person, without first obtaining a permit as provided herein, to cut down, damage, top, poison ... or in any manner destroy or cause to be destroyed ("Remove") any Protected Tree with one or more stems (trunks), four (4) inches or more in diameter at DBH, or to Remove any mangrove variety, Cabbage Palm, or Sabal Palm no matter what size.

That opening clause is a real carve-out and it matters in Florida. Read as written it reaches topping or excessive pruning "by or at the direction of a governmental agency", and it does not on its face reach owner-initiated storm cleanup. After a hurricane that distinction is the whole question, so confirm it with the city rather than assuming a storm suspends the ordinance.

Read the permit trigger's second half twice. A three foot sabal palm in a flower bed is inside the permit requirement: for those three species there is no size floor. The city's FAQ defines a protected tree as "having a DBH of 4 inches or greater ... including all mangroves, Sabal Palms, and Cabbage Palms", which reads as though the 4 inch floor applies to them too, and the any-size rule appears on no city page we read. Below the threshold the division does not reach: section 133.03(B) states the provisions "shall not apply to a tree under 4 inches DBH."

How to measure your own tree in about thirty seconds

Section 133.01(E) measures DBH at 4.5 feet above existing grade, and the city's Tree Removal Permit Application publishes the arithmetic: "Use the following formula to calculate diameter: D = C / pi (3.14159)." Measure the circumference at 4.5 feet, divide by 3.14, and you have DBH. About 12.6 inches of circumference is the 4 inch line.

Two special cases sit in the definition. A tree forking between four and a half and two feet above ground is measured below the swell from the fork. Trunks forking below two feet are multi-trunk trees, measured immediately above the fork and "adding the total diameters of the four largest trunks", so a clump of modest stems can clear 4 inches.

Does a dead, dying or dangerous tree still need a permit?

On the face of the code, yes, for a non-exempt species. Section 133.02(D) reads, from its first words:

"Except for those tree species listed as exempt, or following a declared state of emergency in which trees become damaged in such a way that topping or excessive pruning by or at the direction of a governmental agency becomes necessary, it shall be unlawful for any person to cut down, damage, top, poison or in any manner destroy or cause to be destroyed any tree regardless of condition with a DBH of 4 inches or more without a permit."

The same two exceptions that open the permit trigger open this one. Outside them, condition makes no difference.

This is the widest gap between the code and the city's guidance. No city tree page or FAQ answer we read says a dead tree still needs a permit, and the FAQ answer defining a protected tree never mentions condition at all, so a resident could finish the city's pages believing a dead tree is outside the ordinance.

Condition is not an exemption. It is a reason the city may grant the permit, and a reason it may waive the replacement: section 133.05(A) treats "diseased trees or trees weakened by age, storm, fire or other injury" as a criterion for granting, and section 133.06(F) waives replacement for a tree "diseased or injured to the point it will ultimately expire and no reasonable remedy exists". Section 133.02(F) separately makes it unlawful to let a tree or branch remain "in such diseased or dead condition so as to be in danger of falling upon any right-of-way or the property of another."

Which is a question about one tree rather than about the rule. A tree in that condition may be a candidate for removal, or for pruning, cabling or target management that keeps it standing, and that is an on-site judgement rather than a reading of the code. A residential tree care assessment answers it before anything is filed.

What pruning can you do without a permit?

Normal maintenance trimming is exempt, with conditions. Section 133.03(C) exempts trimming "as normal maintenance, provided such trimming does not result in mutilation, death, or removal of the tree" or otherwise violate section 133.02(D), which holds the hard limits:

Not more than one-third of the tree canopy shall be trimmed or pruned in any year unless it is dead. There shall be no "topping" of any trees.

One difference from the city's guidance matters before you hire anyone. The code bans topping outright with no permit attached, while the city's FAQ says "Topping, excessive pruning or the removal of more than one-third of the tree's leaf canopy is prohibited without a permit", which on its face tells a reader a permit can authorise it.

A tree that is topped anyway carries its own replacement rule. The same subsection continues: "Topped trees and trees destroyed by improper trimming shall be replaced with the same species minimum one-inch DBH and with a number of trees equivalent to the total inches DBH of the topped or destroyed trees."

Tree Removal at section 133.01(S) also reaches beyond a saw: it is "any act which causes a tree to die within a period of 2 years", expressly including root damage by machinery, soil compaction, grade changes and paving too close to the trunk. A driveway or pool deck job is inside that definition even when nothing is cut.

Which trees can be removed with no permit?

Section 133.03(D) exempts 26 species entries "Due to their status as exotic species or invasive species", among them Brazilian pepper, Chinaberry, Chinese Tallow, Citrus, Australian pine and Mango. Read that list in the code rather than in the handout, because the qualifiers carry weight: the code exempts "Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus spp. except silver dollar variety", "Ficus, Ficus spp. except banyan", and "Palms, except Cabbage Palm, Sabal Palm, Palmetto, and Royal Palm. Palm, Roystonea spp." Those two entries conflict. Royal Palm is a Roystonea species, so the code excepts it from the palm exemption and then exempts its whole genus in the next line. We will not resolve a conflict the city has not: ask the city before a royal palm comes out. Every other palm species is exempt, except Cabbage and Sabal Palm, which need a permit at any size, and Palmetto, which the list carves out without classifying as protected.

The city's FAQ version runs 25 entries, common names only, with bare "Eucalyptus" and bare "Ficus" and no exceptions, so a silver dollar eucalyptus and a banyan look exempt on the handout when the code excepts them. The FAQ also drops the code's lead-in, that exempt species "shall not be used to meet the trees required by" the division: removing one from private property needs no permit, and planting one earns no replacement credit.

How do you apply?

The homeowner track is short. Section 133.04(B) requires a written application and the code fee. Where no Development Permit is involved, section 133.04(C) asks for a drawing rather than a survey, and for no arborist report: the lot's shape and dimensions, existing structures and improvements, the trees to be removed by botanical or common name with the DBH of each, any proposed replacement program, any additional information the City Engineer or his designee deems necessary, and a statement of why they are to be removed. If your work does involve a Development Permit, the development track below applies instead.

From the city's own material: the permit sits with Building Development rather than Planning and Zoning, at 727-942-5617, and the application is a PDF form, revision 8/22. The city requires electronic submission through its GoPost portal but states on no page which portal a standalone tree permit belongs in, so call first. The form warns that "Payment of the application fee does not constitute approval to remove any tree", and section 133.04(F) requires an on-site inspection by City Staff before the permit issues.

How long does a decision take? Nobody publishes it. All eleven subsections, the city tree page, all nine FAQ answers, the application form and the permitting guide were read for a review interval and there is none. The only clocks in the ordinance are the six month permit expiry, a two working day remedial window, and the ten day appeal window.

What does the permit cost?

Here the city disagrees with itself, and it is the most consequential conflict in this article. The codified schedule at section 246.01 reads:

"Tree Removal Permits and Inspections: Existing Single Family or Two Family Residence $25.00 each application"

The city's own application form, Table 1, reads "Existing Single Family or Two Family Residence: $ 50.00 each", and the Building Development permitting guide collapses the rows into "Existing Residential or Non-Residential $50.00". The two documents the city hands an applicant charge double the codified figure for that row. Every other row in the application form's Table 1 matches the code, including new construction at $100.00, land clearing or grubbing at $50.00, no charge for the initial inspection and $40.00 for a reinspection. The permitting guide is a shorter table: it carries no land clearing or grubbing row, no separate multifamily or commercial row, and it adds a "Mitigation Fee Based on the size of the tree", which is plain language for the replacement fee in lieu at section 133.06(E) rather than a codified fee row of its own.

The code is the law; the form is what the counter will hand you. Call Building Development at 727-942-5617 for the fee actually charged.

What will you owe in replacement?

Replacement is the real cost of a Tarpon Springs tree permit. Section 133.06(E) sets the ratio: "One DBH inch for each DBH inch removed or a fee in lieu thereof shall be paid."

The fee in lieu runs on two ladders. For "Individual single-family residential lots presently occupied by the owner": $10.00 per inch from 4 to under 10 inches DBH, $20.00 from 10 to under 20, $40.00 from 20 to under 30, and $50.00 at 30 and greater. For all other developments or properties: $25.00 per inch from 4 to under 8 inches, $50.00 from 8 to under 15, $75.00 from 15 to under 25, and $100.00 at 25 and greater. Cabbage Palm and Sabal Palm have their own arithmetic: one DBH inch of like palm per inch removed, one inch of shade tree per three inches, or $10.00 per DBH inch in lieu.

Whatever is planted has to meet section 133.06(B): "a minimum of 1 and ½ inch in diameter measured 12 inches above ground with a minimum crown of 2 feet and a minimum height of 6 feet upon planting, being grade Florida #1 or better", from the species authorized under the landscaping requirements. That list is at section 134.03(A), which section 133.06(B) does not cite by number, and it adds a 15 gallon pot. Under section 133.06(C) staff may also attach conditions or require replacement above the minimum, and an exempt species planted as a replacement does not count.

Replacement can also be waived outright. Section 133.06(F) says the City Manager or designee "shall waive" it where one or more of seven conditions is found: the tree is diseased or injured to the point it will ultimately expire and no reasonable remedy exists; it is in immediate danger of falling and no economically practicable remedy exists; it is significantly endangering existing structures so that its continued presence will ultimately cause damage and no economically practicable remedy exists; in the City's professional opinion it is substantially endangering existing pavement or utility services in a manner that threatens to damage property or life; it creates unsafe visibility which pruning will not rectify; the City finds its removal is in the interest of the general public's health, safety and welfare; or it is a tree or cluster under 19 inches DBH inside the primary building pad, primary foundation line, swimming pool and pool patio pad, or the part of the driveway within 15 feet of the garage or carport entrance, and those structures cannot be relocated. Each finding is the city's to make.

Section 133.06(G) also lets the city accept a tree being removed as a donation, for replanting on city property or at a tree farm, with the owner paying the cost of relocation and care and credited DBH inch for DBH inch against the replacement owed. That does not apply to trees replanted on the owner's own premises.

How long does the permit last, and how long do you have to appeal?

Six months, and ten days. Section 133.06(D) expires every tree removal permit "within six (6) months of the permit approval date", after which a new application is required.

On a denial, section 133.05(B) requires the city to state the basis specifically in writing. Section 133.10 gives the appeal on strict terms: to the Board of Adjustment, "by filing written application thereof with the Planning and Zoning Division within 10 days from the announcement of the decision", reciting the reasons, and expressly excluding decisions under section 133.09, the enforcement section. No city page publishes any of that: not the tree page, not the FAQ set, not the form. Ten days is short enough that a denied applicant relying on city guidance can lose the right before learning it existed.

The code also carries a second, longer window. The general appeals section, section 215.01(B), gives 60 days to appeal an administrative decision to the same Board, and the code does not say which of the two governs a tree decision. Filing inside 10 days leaves nothing to argue about. Section 246.01 sets $250.00 for an "Appeal of Administrative Decision (BOA)", and the city's Planning and Zoning schedule adds a $150.00 public notice fee; neither document ties that row to a tree appeal.

What happens if a tree comes down without a permit?

Section 133.09 is multiplicative rather than a flat fine: for willful removal in violation of the code, City Staff shall ensure proper permitting is followed, "charging 4 times the permit and replacement fees specified by this Code", and each tree removed without a permit "will constitute a separate offense, and mitigation shall be required." A Stop Work Order reaches the contractor as well as the owner, and the city may also withhold a final Certificate of Occupancy or seek injunctive relief in Circuit Court.

No city page publishes a penalty for unpermitted removal at all. That cuts both ways: nothing overstates it, and nothing warns a resident that the exposure is a multiple of two numbers rather than a ticket.

A second route sits beside it. Section 133.09(C) keeps enforcement open through the Code Enforcement Board under Chapter 2, where section 2-168 allows a fine of up to $250.00 per day past the compliance date, up to $500.00 per day for a repeat violation, and up to $5,000.00 per violation the Board finds irreparable or irreversible. A recorded fine order becomes a lien on the land, though a lien under that article cannot be foreclosed on a homestead. The code does not say how the Board's fines combine with the four times charge for any particular tree.

Mangroves, Cabbage Palms and Sabal Palms

Mangroves are not a City tree permit question, and the code does not settle what they are instead. Section 133.02(E) records that the City "is bound by any preemptive State legislation regarding mangroves", then provides that "in so far as the City can regulate mangroves then the trimming, cutting or Removal of mangroves is hereby prohibited". Prohibited, not permitted. Yet section 133.04(A) lists "any mangrove variety" among the things it is unlawful to remove without a permit. One provision bars the work and the other implies a permit for it, and we will not resolve a conflict the city has not.

What is settled is who enforces. The city's tree page names the state Mangrove Trimming and Preservation Act, with enforcement delegated to Pinellas County, which adopted its own countywide trimming ordinance. Mangrove work goes to those regulators first, and section 163.045 below expressly does not reach it.

Cabbage Palm and Sabal Palm are the same species, protected here by classification rather than size. There is no clear-trunk height test anywhere in sections 133.00 through 133.10; all eleven subsections were searched for the phrase and it does not appear. Size and trunk height do not enter the question here: for these two species the trigger is the species itself.

Florida Statute 163.045: the state route, and where it stops

One state route removes a local permit requirement entirely, and the city describes it on its own tree page. It is section 163.045, Florida Statutes, effective July 1, 2019 and amended once, by chapter 2022-121. Subsection (2):

"A local government may not require a notice, application, approval, permit, fee, or mitigation for the pruning, trimming, or removal of a tree on a residential property if the property owner possesses documentation from an arborist certified by the ISA or a Florida licensed landscape architect that the tree poses an unacceptable risk to persons or property. A tree poses an unacceptable risk if removal is the only means of practically mitigating its risk below moderate, as determined by the tree risk assessment procedures outlined in Best Management Practices - Tree Risk Assessment, Second Edition (2017)."

The test is the assessed risk. Removal must be the only means of practically mitigating risk below moderate, as the onsite assessment determines, so a risk that pruning, cabling or managing the target can bring below moderate does not meet it. A convenience or construction reason is not a ground the statute names.

Residential property is narrow. Subsection (1)(b) means "a single-family, detached building located on a lot that is actively used for single-family residential purposes" that is a conforming or legally recognized nonconforming use, so the route does not reach a multifamily or attached dwelling, a commercial parcel, an HOA common area or a vacant lot.

The documentation is a defined product, not a letter. Subsection (1)(a) requires an onsite assessment following the same 2017 Best Management Practices procedures, by an ISA certified arborist or a Florida licensed landscape architect, and signed by that person, so a desk review or an unsigned report does not qualify. Subsection (3) then bars a local government from requiring replanting of a tree removed under the section.

Mangroves are outside it. Subsection (4) states the section does not apply to the exercise of specifically delegated authority for mangrove protection under sections 403.9321 through 403.9333.

Tarpon Springs, by contrast, treats hazard and disease as permit criteria and replacement waiver grounds rather than as a route around the permit, so which text governs depends on facts about that tree and that lot. The city publishes no route for submitting an owner's own statutory documentation.

Where this route is the right one, the signed documentation is something Ken's Tree Service arranges as part of the job, from an ISA certified arborist or a Florida licensed landscape architect as the statute requires.

If you manage commercial, multifamily, HOA or institutional property

Nothing in the ordinance exempts a property because of how it is used. Section 133.02(A) applies the division "to real property within the limits of the City", and the permit trigger in section 133.04(A) turns on the tree, not the owner: 4 inches DBH for a non-exempt species, any size for Cabbage Palm and Sabal Palm. The exemptions are the same too, including the transplant exemption in section 133.03(A), which reaches platted lots or tracts "less than 1 acre in size where a valid Certificate of Occupancy is in effect". Where no Development Permit is involved, an HOA common area or an office lot uses the same short application as a house.

What changes is the money. Section 246.01 sets $50.00 per application for an "Existing Multifamily Residence" and for an "Existing Commercial, Industrial or Other Nonresidential Structure", and on those two rows the city's application form agrees with the code. Replacement in lieu runs on the higher ladder for all other developments or properties: $25.00 per inch removed from 4 to under 8 inches DBH, $50.00 from 8 to under 15, $75.00 from 15 to under 25, and $100.00 at 25 inches and greater. The code limits the lower ladder to "Individual single-family residential lots presently occupied by the owner", while the application form's column heading reads only "Individual Single-Family Residential Lots", so a rented house reads differently on the form than in the law. Cabbage Palm and Sabal Palm keep their own rule on any property, $10.00 per DBH inch in lieu.

Commercial plantings carry a condition a homeowner's do not. Under section 133.06(E), where replacement trees are installed on commercial properties the applicant answers for their survival, and City Staff may conduct a follow-up on-site inspection "at yearly intervals for five (5) years after planting" to ensure compliance, with failure exposing the applicant to penalties.

Trees on an approved site plan carry a second set of duties outside the tree division. Section 134.10(A) makes the owner "solely responsible for the continued maintenance of all landscape areas in accordance with the approved site plan", and where required landscaping dies "from lack of maintenance, disease, or other natural occurrence", staff "shall require re-landscaping", a rule that reaches all required landscaping "whether installed under the terms of this Code or a previous ordinance." The code does not say whether removing a tree shown on an approved landscape plan also needs a site plan revision, so ask Planning and Zoning, 727-942-5611, before one comes down.

Who can file. Section 133.04(B) opens the application to "Any person wishing to obtain a permit", the Land Development Code's definition of owner at section 241.00 provides that "An authorized agent may be designated by the owner to carry out the intended business", and the city's form has separate lines for the applicant, a company and the property owner. The code publishes no authorization form for a tree permit. A site plan submittal, by contrast, must include "proof of ownership and designation of agent, if applicable" under section 210.02(B).

Florida Statute 163.045 does not reach this property. Its route is limited to residential property, defined as "a single-family, detached building located on a lot that is actively used for single-family residential purposes", so a multifamily building, an HOA common area, an office or retail parcel and a vacant lot stay with the city permit process described here.

If you are building, expanding or clearing land

Development changes the paperwork, not the threshold. The track is set by a Development Permit, which section 133.01(D) defines as "any building permit or site plan approval authorizing the construction of any new parking space, the expansion of the gross floor area of a building, the alteration or enlargement of a building envelope, or the alteration of a site configuration through site redesign (right-of-way clearing, easement clearing, mining, borrow pit or lake construction, etc.) or other changes (including grubbing)." Development itself, at section 133.01(C), covers change to the land "including, but not limited to, land clearing associated with new construction, the placement of any structure or site improvement on the land, or expansion of existing buildings." Neither definition names demolition on its own, so whether a particular demolition, pool or addition is on this track is a question for Building Development.

What order do the approvals come in?

The tree approval sits in front of the building permit. Section 133.08(A): "No Building permit shall be issued without an approved Tree Removal Permit." Section 212.00(C)(4) says the same from the building side: no building or construction permit application is approved without "A valid tree removal permit or notarized affidavit of no tree removal or no tree verification where required, and the conditions of said permit." Where a Development Permit is necessary, section 133.04(E) lets staff decline to process the tree application "until site plan approval has been granted."

So on a site plan project the code's order is: site plan approval; the development-track tree application; the on-site inspection section 133.04(F) requires before the tree permit issues; no building permit until the tree permit is approved; and, before any tree comes down, the barrier inspection section 133.04(G) requires. The city's application form adds that "No site work is to be undertaken until a building permit has been issued", and its permitting guide that "Prior to land clearing or construction activities begin, an inspection is required for silt fence and tree protection compliance."

Not every building project has a site plan. Section 210.01 exempts "One and two family dwellings on a lot of record or in an approved and constructed subdivision" and one-time additions of 500 square feet or less that need no Board of Commissioners approval. The tree rule in section 133.08(A) applies to every building permit either way.

Where a lot has no protected trees, or has them but none will be removed, a notarized statement stands in for the tree permit: a No Tree Verification under section 133.08(B), or a No Tree Removal Verification under section 133.08(C). The paperwork has a trap. The code prints only the No Tree Verification form, twice, in section 133.10, and both certificate PDFs the city links, the Certificate of No Protected Tree Removal Verification and the Certificate of No Tree Removal Verification, are the No Tree Removal Verification form. Each source publishes one of the two, and which one a site needs depends on whether protected trees are on it.

Two clocks run against each other. A tree removal permit expires "within six (6) months of the permit approval date" under section 133.06(D), and section 241.00 states that tree removal permits and clearing and grubbing permits "are not considered building permits for the purpose of meeting expiration deadlines" of site plans and similar development orders. Section 210.05(A) separately expires a site plan in six months unless a building or construction permit is obtained and kept active. A tree permit approved early does not keep a site plan alive, and a lapsed tree permit needs a new application.

At the end of the job, section 133.09(A) lets staff withhold the final Certificate of Occupancy until the tree division and every permit condition are met, section 134.04(A) requires the minimum tree planting "prior to the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy for new construction", and section 134.10(B) states: "No Final Certificate of Occupancy shall be issued until all required landscaping is installed in accordance with the approved plan."

What does a development-track tree application need?

Section 133.04(D) sets the minimum, and every item is required:

• "A topographic survey signed and sealed by a registered Engineer, Architect, or Surveyor and Tree Survey signed by an ISA certified arborist showing" the location, common name and DBH of every protected tree; all proposed structures, driveways, parking areas and other improvements; which trees remain and which are removed or replaced; proposed grade changes that might endanger trees, "with specifications on how to maintain trees"; and the size of all tree canopies.

• A copy of the approved site plan.

• A statement of why the trees are to be removed.

• "A statement showing how trees not proposed for removal or relocation are to be protected during land clearing and construction".

• A statement of intent either to replace required trees on site or to "submit a written request for optional participation to the City Tree Bank".

A Tree Survey has its own definition at section 133.01(T): an aerial photograph or drawing to scale, "one inch equals 100 feet or smaller ratio", plotting every protected tree with its common name and DBH. The ISA certification is the code's requirement for whoever signs it. Around the tree application sit the site plan's own rules: section 210.02 requires a site plan "prepared under the direction of a Florida Registered Engineer and sealed by same" with "A tree survey with overlay of proposed development indicating size, type, location of trees to remain", and section 134.01 bars site plan approval without an approved landscape plan, which must be "prepared by landscape architects registered in accordance with the requirements of F.S., Ch. 481, Part II, or persons otherwise exempt thereunder". A planned development's final plan adds "the proposed limits of clearing and tree protection plan" under section 82.00(17).

The city's new construction permit checklist asks for more than the code does: an "ISA Certified Arborist Tree Assessment on all existing trees" including their condition, Tree Protection Zone and Critical Root Zone information where staff want it, and relocation specifications "in accordance to ANSI A300 Standards". None of those three appears anywhere in the code, which asks for a signed tree survey rather than a condition assessment. Expect the checklist at the counter; the code is the legal minimum.

How much must stay, and what can move to save a tree?

Tarpon Springs sets no share of trees or canopy that a development must keep; a whole-code search for a retention or canopy standard found none. Preservation works through the permit criteria and a set of design tools. Section 133.05(A) weighs construction necessity, including equipment access, essential grade changes, drainage and utilities, and the location of driveways and buildings, against a tree's size, age, rarity or status as a "Champion or Specimen tree", a term the code never defines. Section 134.08(B) requires six named upland plant communities to be preserved "when encroachment by developed areas can be avoided": Longleaf Pine and Xeric Oak, Sand Pine, Pine and Mesic Oak, Xeric Oak, Oak, Pine and Hickory, and Temperate Hardwood.

The code gives the city several ways to redesign around a tree:

• Parking. Section 127.05(B)(1) lets required parking be reduced "by not greater than 10% where necessary to protect existing trees".

• Parking lot landscaping. Under section 134.05(C)(2)(c), "Through site plan review, the City may allow the reduction or relocation of such landscape areas to preserve existing trees", and section 134.05(C)(5) lets staff require turf blocks at existing grade to protect an existing tree's roots.

• Driveways. Section 129.00 lets the City Manager reduce a driveway width "based upon existing or proposed utilities, trees, or other site conditions".

• Planned developments and subdivisions. Sections 83.00 and 165.00 allow a waiver "necessary to preserve or enhance significant existing environmental or cultural features, such as trees", and section 163.01(D) requires a subdivision to preserve trees among its significant features.

• Variances. Section 215.02(B)(1)(a) lets the Board of Adjustment treat "Preservation of a Protected Tree(s) or Native Tree(s), but not an Invasive tree(s)" as a relevant environmental condition, though every other variance standard still has to be met.

• Preservation techniques. Section 134.08(C) lists fourteen the city can require, among them drain tiles, dry wells, terracing, retaining walls, tunneling as opposed to trenching, structured soils and root bridges, root pruning, and a six foot chain link construction fence with no top rail.

One size line matters here. Under section 133.06(F)(7), replacement is waived for a tree or cluster under 19 inches DBH inside the primary building pad, primary foundation line, pool and pool patio pad, or the driveway within 15 feet of the garage or carport entrance, where those structures cannot be relocated. A tree of 19 inches or more in the same spot is still owed replacement unless another waiver finding applies.

How must trees be protected during construction?

Section 133.07 applies to "Development and redevelopment on parcels", and its rules are specific:

• Exclusion zone. It is unlawful to place "solvents, material, construction machinery, or temporary soil deposits within 6 feet or ⅔ of the drip line, as defined herein, whichever is greater, of any protected tree" (section 133.07(A)). The drip line is the line straight down from the outermost branch tips (section 133.01(F)).

• Barricades before any work. "Before development, land clearing, filling or any land alteration, a permit shall be required and suitable protective barriers shall be erected by the developer", around all protected trees and other protected vegetation including wetlands, and they stay until land alteration, site clearing and construction are complete (section 133.07(B)).

• Distance. "Barricades for the protective radius shall be erected at a minimum distance of twenty (20) feet from the edge of the trunk of protected trees." They stay until City Staff authorizes their removal or the final Certificate of Occupancy issues, and nothing may be attached or wired to a protected tree during construction.

• Materials. Barriers are wood or metal, except that right-of-way or utility easements, and large areas no equipment will enter, may be ribboned between stakes no more than 30 feet apart, and wetlands also need silt screens landward of the jurisdictional line.

• Installing the barrier. It must not "destroy or irreversibly harm the root system" of protected trees; wall footers stop where larger roots are met and the roots are bridged, and post holes and trenches are moved to avoid major roots (section 133.07(C)).

• Roots, mulch and grade. Roots removed during clearing "shall be severed clean at the perimeter of the designated protective radius", a two-inch mulch layer covers exposed roots, a dry well and drainage and aeration system is required where the grade is raised, and a retaining wall at the protective radius where it is lowered (section 133.07(D) through (G)).

• Who prunes. "All trimming of Protected Trees during development shall be done by an ISA certified Arborist." (section 133.07(H))

The city's own construction detail draws something different. Its Tree Protection Fence Barriers Detail, sheet G-02 dated December 15, 2015, places barriers "DRIP LINE TO DRIP LINE" for deciduous and conifer trees and about 18 inches from the trunk for palms, built of 2 by 4 posts at 4 feet on center with 2 by 2 rails. A drip line can fall inside or outside 20 feet, and 18 inches is well inside it. The code's 20 foot minimum is the law and the detail is what a plan reviewer may point to, so confirm the distance with Building Development before the fence goes up. The detail's notes add that no trucks or heavy equipment go inside the barriers and only hand labor, that no materials, soil or solvents go inside them, that barriers go up before any construction near trees, and that they stay until paving, construction and heavy equipment are gone.

What replacement does a development site owe?

Two rules apply, and the code credits one against the other. The tree division's replacement, inch for inch or the fee in lieu on the all other developments or properties ladder, applies to each protected tree removed. Section 134.04 then sets a floor for the whole site where protected trees are removed, to be met "prior to the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy for new construction" and before final inspection on a site plan amendment above 50 percent of the property's value:

• Up to 6,000 square feet of gross lot area: 2 trees

• 6,001 to 10,000 square feet: 4 trees

• 10,001 to 15,000 square feet: 6 trees

• Over 15,000 square feet: 8 trees, plus one for each 2,000 square feet or portion thereof above 15,000

Healthy trees left in good growing condition count toward that minimum, an approved retention or detention pond reduces it by the pond's area, public easements can reduce it further at staff direction, and landscaping required elsewhere in the code is credited against it and against replacement trees. Required trees are of the shade or canopy type unless staff decide otherwise near power lines, trees next to vehicle areas must be shade trees placed to shade them, and palms may make up no more than 25 percent of required trees, planted in groups of at least three (section 134.03(D)). Every tree must meet the section 134.03(A) specification: Florida #1 or better, a 15 gallon pot, 1 and ½ inches in diameter at 12 inches above ground, a 2 foot crown and 6 feet tall at planting.

The Tree Bank is an election made up front. Section 133.04(D)(5) requires the application to state an intent to replant on site or to request participation in the City Tree Bank, fees in lieu go into that fund under section 133.06(E), and the city's form states that "Replacement fees shall not be assessed until after the inspection is complete and City staff has approved the replacement planting plan, as applicable." On commercial property the five-year survival condition applies to whatever is planted.

Two species rules bite on construction sites. Section 133.03(F): "All Brazilian Pepper trees (Schinus terebinthifolius) shall be removed during the site construction process", with a site inspection to confirm it and regrowth controlled by the owner "in perpetuity" after the Certificate of Occupancy. And an exempt species cannot be used to meet any required tree count.

What does the development track cost?

From section 246.01: $100.00 per application for a tree removal permit on new construction, residential or nonresidential, $50.00 for land clearing or grubbing, no charge for the initial inspection and $40.00 for each reinspection. Site plan review runs from $500.00 for up to 5 acres to $2,000.00 above 20 acres, plus the engineering review fees in section 246.02, and a variance request is $250.00 plus advertising. Section 6-4.1 also lists a Building Development hourly rate of $40.00 per hour for an arborist, for services the fee schedule does not otherwise address. Replacement fees in lieu come on top.

Clearing, grubbing and fill

Land clearing is its own instrument. Grubbing, at section 133.01(H), "means the removal of any type of rooted vegetation from land by digging, raking, dragging or otherwise disturbing the roots of such vegetation and the soil in which such roots are located", the definition of Development Permit expressly includes it, and clearing or grubbing has its own $50.00 tree fee row. Fill, excavation or any change to natural grade needs a separate permit under section 64.00(A), "issued through the Building Department after review and approval by the City Engineer", and section 64.00(C) bars that permit until the applicable site plan approval, building permit approval, drainage plan approval and other agencies' permits are in hand. Encroaching on wetlands brings in the wetlands protection provisions.

What is a contractor on site exposed to?

The enforcement section names the contractor. When clearing, development or site alteration is under way without a required permit, or remedial work is not done inside the two working day notice window, section 133.09(B)(2) requires a Stop Work Order immediately, and "The Stop Work Order shall be directed not only to the person owning the land upon which the violation is occurring, but also shall be directed to the person or firm actually performing the physical labors of the development activity". Willful removal is charged at four times the permit and replacement fees, each tree is a separate offense, and the Certificate of Occupancy can be withheld.

Starting early costs double. Section 6-4.1(m) assesses "a penalty of 100% (double) of the normal permit fees" for work requiring a Land Development Code or Florida Building Code permit that starts before the permit issues, unless the building official approves it as early start or emergency work.

What the code does not require is a tree-trade license. A whole-code search for any tree service or tree contractor requirement found none; the only credential in the tree rules is the ISA certified arborist for the development tree survey and for trimming protected trees during development. Any business working in the city needs a local business tax receipt: section 11-2 says "No one shall conduct any business unless such person shall first procure a local business tax receipt to conduct the same from the city", section 11-6 adds a 25 percent penalty for working without one, and the section 11-24 schedule carries separate classifications for tree surgeon and for land clearing and excavation. A receipt is a tax registration rather than a qualification, so the checkable credentials on a bid are the ones the code names and the contractor's own general liability and workers compensation certificates.

Debris rules apply to crews too. Section 133.02(G) makes it unlawful to dispose of tree trimmings in the right-of-way, on another's property, in streets or waters, or into the storm sewer, with a narrow allowance for trimmings set out temporarily awaiting collection. Section 8-21 limits curbside trunks and limbs from ordinary upkeep to four inches in diameter and four feet long, and states: "Nothing herein shall be construed to permit the placing of tree trunks or limbs resulting from the falling or removal of large trees or large numbers of trees from the clearing of lots or other areas." Section 8-27 makes it "unlawful to bury any debris, including trees and bushes, on any building site or lot."

Appeals and variances on a development decision

A tree permit decision goes to the Board of Adjustment within 10 days under section 133.10, filed in writing with the Planning and Zoning Division with the reasons, and enforcement decisions under section 133.09 are excluded. The Board's general rules bear on it too. Under section 215.01(C) the Board considers only the code provision and the papers the administrative official had, and "The Board shall not consider the fairness of the application of the specific Code provision in deciding the appeal." Under section 215.04 no action is valid without a majority of the full membership. A variance needs every standard in section 215.02(B) proven by competent substantial evidence, including that the hardship was not self-created and that the variance is the minimum that makes reasonable use possible, and section 215.02(A)(5) bars after-the-fact relief for anything built without a permit. Hearings carry at least 15 days' notice by posting, mail to owners within 500 feet and advertisement under section 215.03.

Trees along the street and in the right-of-way

The owner of a lot maintains the trees in the abutting right-of-way as well as on the lot. Section 133.02(B) makes owners "responsible for the maintenance of trees on private property and in abutting rights-of-way", except that an owner who proves by "substantial competent evidence" that a public utility fatally damaged a tree is not required to pay to remove and replant it. Section 133.02(F) carries the dangerous dead or diseased tree duty into the abutting rights-of-way, and section 8-52(b) requires owners abutting a dedicated right-of-way "to maintain vegetation so as to ensure a ten-foot vertical clearance over any sidewalk or improved right-of-way."

The city's tree page cites section 133.02 for "an unobstructed vertical clearance of not less than 13 feet 6 inches over the street and 10 feet over the sidewalk or improved right-of-way". Section 133.02 contains no clearance figure. The 10 feet is section 8-52(b), and the 13 feet 6 inches is the Florida Fire Prevention Code's clearance for fire department access roads, which the city's own right-of-way tree handout quotes under section 7-12. At an intersection, section 37.00 lets the City Manager order a tree or shrub that obstructs drivers' vision trimmed or removed.

Anyone building in the right-of-way needs a separate permit. Section 15-8(c): "Except in an emergency, no person shall begin any construction in the rights-of-way without first obtaining the applicable permit, pursuant to this article. This requirement shall apply to all contractors and/or utilities performing work within the city's rights-of-way." Construction there includes grading, excavation and filling (section 15-7), a utility applies for a rights-of-way construction permit at least 45 days before work (section 15-9), and a violation of the article is a $500 fine, each day a separate violation (section 15-21).

Utility tree work has its own rule. Section 15-17 requires any utility trimming or removal of protected trees in the right-of-way to follow the tree division, treats permanent removal as "presumed unnecessary", and defines necessity narrowly, as meaning "that wires or cables cannot pass clearly without any branches or roots touching them and that the branches or roots threatening to touch the wires or cable are major structural branches or roots that may cause a safety hazard or the death of the tree if removed." A utility gives the city 24 hours' notice before trimming, is limited to what clear cable passage requires, is responsible for damage to trees, property and people, and files a restoration plan with the City Arborist before temporarily removing trees to build.

Does the Pinellas County tree ordinance apply inside the city limits?

Here Tarpon Springs differs from its neighbour, and the answer has two layers rather than a clean exemption. The county's operative tree article is Chapter 58, Article XIX, and its applicability section, section 58-809, as amended by Ordinance No. 26-3 on January 20, 2026, reads in its entirety:

"This article shall apply to property, excluding county-maintained right-of-way, within the incorporated and unincorporated areas of the county. Where these provisions conflict with a municipal ordinance, the municipal ordinance shall prevail. No trees shall be removed from county-maintained right-of-way without an approved permit."

So the article reaches property inside incorporated areas by its own terms, the county yields where a municipal ordinance conflicts, and Tarpon Springs has its own ordinance on the same ground.

What we will not do is tell you which rule governs your tree. Tarpon Springs is not named anywhere in the county's tree article: all eight sections were read, and it contains no schedule of exempted municipalities. If your question is which authority to file with, ask the authority: Building Development at 727-942-5617 for the city, and the county for county-maintained right-of-way. One dating point from the code itself: nothing in the Tarpon Springs tree division has been amended since May 5, 2015, on the amendment credits printed at the foot of each subsection.

Two companion articles cover the neighbouring rules on their own sources: the Pinellas County tree removal permit and the City of Dunedin tree removal permit. Each states that jurisdiction's own rules on that jurisdiction's own sources.

Where this leaves your tree

1. Measure circumference at 4.5 feet and divide by 3.14. Under 4 inches DBH, and not a Cabbage Palm or Sabal Palm, the division does not apply.

2. Check the exempt species list at section 133.03(D), in the code rather than the handout.

3. If the tree is protected, expect an application, the fee, an inspection before issuance, a six month clock, and a replacement tree or fee in lieu unless a waiver finding applies.

4. If the work involves a building permit or site plan, a new parking area, clearing or fill, you are on the development track: a tree survey signed by an ISA certified arborist, barricades at least 20 feet from the trunk before any site work, and no building permit until the tree permit is approved.

5. If the tree is genuinely hazardous and the property is a single-family detached lot, section 163.045 may be the better route, on documentation meeting the statutory definition.

6. Confirm the current fee, the right portal and the barricade detail with Building Development at 727-942-5617.

Ken's Tree Service has worked out of Tarpon Springs since 1996, is licensed on its City of Tarpon Springs business tax receipt, and carries general liability and workers compensation coverage, certificates on request. We work within about 20 miles of town, across north Pinellas, west Pasco and northwest Hillsborough County.

A tree that concerns you may be a candidate for removal, or for pruning or other risk reduction that keeps it standing, and that is an on-site judgement rather than a reading of the ordinance. Our website agent can talk it through with you. It works from this ordinance and from section 163.045, and it asks the questions the code turns on, which are your jurisdiction and the species and size of the tree. It can also take your address and callback number if you want someone from our team to come and measure the tree properly. Start a conversation with the agent and describe the tree. Our office line, 727-934-5804, stays open if you would rather call.

Sources and scope

Primary sources, all verified September 27, 2026:

• Tarpon Springs Code of Ordinances, Appendix A, Article IX, sections 133.00 through 133.10, Tree Protection and Preservation, codified through Ordinance No. 2025-19 (December 9, 2025).

• Tarpon Springs section 246.01, Application Review Fees, and Chapter 19, Trees.

• Tarpon Springs Appendix A, sections 134.00 through 134.10, Landscaping and Screening; sections 210.00 through 212.00, site plans and building permits; sections 215.00 through 215.04, variances and appeals; and section 64.00, Excavation and Fill.

• Tarpon Springs Code of Ordinances, Chapter 15, Article II, Right-of-Way Construction Requirements; Chapter 8, sections 8-21 through 8-52; Chapter 2, Article VIII, Code Enforcement; and section 6-4.1, Permit Fees.

• Section 163.045, Florida Statutes, 2026 compilation.

• Pinellas County Code, section 58-809, Applicability, codified through Ordinance No. 26-13 (March 24, 2026).

City guidance, outranked by the code where they disagree: the Tree and Site Information page, the Tree Removal Permit Application, Rev. 8/22, the tree FAQ set, the GoPost portal page, the tree protection and silt fence details, the new construction checklist with no tree impacts and the two certificate forms linked above.

Scope. This article explains the City of Tarpon Springs ordinance as codified on the date above. It is not legal advice, makes no determination about any particular tree, property, project or address, and does not decide which authority governs a parcel. The city's own amendment list as of August 26, 2026 shows no pending change to Article IX. Confirm current requirements with Building Development at 727-942-5617.

Published September 22, 2026. Last reviewed September 28, 2026. Next review due March 27, 2027.

By Forest, Property Intelligence Specialist, Ken's Tree Service.