Tree Removal

Yes, residents of Pinellas County, FL must submit a permit application when trying to remove Grand, Significant, or Protected trees. However, every city has its own set of regulations on tree permits, and some of them don’t require a permit to remove for most tree species.

 Grand Tree – 30” DBH (diameter at breast height) or more, except Laurel Oaks.

Significant Tree – Large, old, or of historical significance in the community.

Protected Tree – 4” or larger DBH shade tree, and any 8” understory tree with larger DBH.

Permit applications for Incorporated municipalities: City of Clearwater, City of Dunedin, City of Largo, City of Oldsmar, City of Pinellas Park, City of Safety Harbor, City of St. Petersburg FL. We process all permit applications for our customers free of charge, including those that must be applied in person.

Contact us! We’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have about tree removal permit applications in Pinellas County.

Yes. Pines trees and palm trees 6” DBH or larger are protected in most Florida counties.

Grand oak trees provide a great aesthetic appeal to their habitat and their contribution to the ecosystem is significant. When a tree reaches grand oak status, it is one of the largest and oldest specimens of its kind throughout the Tampa bay area, and it has withstood decades of development, deforestation, windstorms and hurricanes, to prove it is one of the hardiest and sturdiest trees of its species. Each grand oak tree has its own beauty and it is worthy of tree preservation.

All cities and counties in Florida have ordinances that regulate the trimming and removal of grand oak trees, in most cases you will need permit to prune or remove them.

Trees requiring permit for removal vary from city to city. In order for you to find out what trees are protected in your area, you will need to contact a local certified arborist, and ask them if the tree can be removed with no violation of law.

Tree permitting is not required if you are attempting to remove dead trees, fallen trees, hazardous trees, and non-protected trees. However, you will need to refer to your local municipality Tree Protection Ordinance to see whether you can remove any tree without a permit.

The law that prohibits cutting down trees is also referred to as Arboriculture Law, and it varies from city to city within their specific county. The major focus of arboriculture law is preserving tree species and other natural resources.

These laws affect those in urban settings by regulating the removal of trees from personal property, or requiring permits to trim, prune, or cut down trees over a certain diameter or age.

The average cost for trimming trees varies depending on the size of the tree (number of branches) and obstacles around the tree, such as power lines and fences. Realistically, residential and commercial tree trimming jobs can cost anywhere between $120 and $1200, based on national averages in 2019, that also support that the average price for tree trimming on that same year was $438.