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Tree Removal Permits in Pinellas Park, FL
Pinellas Park tree permit requirements for homes, mobile home parks and commercial property - what needs approval and what does not.
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Half an inch is the whole story here. Every other city in this county that uses a small-diameter trigger sits at four inches. Pinellas Park sits at four and a half, and it is the only jurisdiction in Pinellas County that does. If a contractor quotes you the four-inch number for a Pinellas Park address, they are working from somebody else’s code.
The rules are in the Land Development Code, Chapter 18, Article 4, sections 18-401 through 18-421, note that this is a separate Municode product from the City’s Code of Ordinances, which is why searching the wrong one turns up nothing. Building Development Division, 6051 78th Avenue North, (727) 369-5647.
The threshold
§ 18-403(A), the subsection that covers an ordinary occupied house:
On platted lots or tracts of land less than one (1) acre in area where a valid Certificate of Occupancy is in effect, it shall be unlawful for any person to remove or cause to be removed, any tree with a trunk diameter of four and one-half (4½) inches or more, said diameter being measured at DBH, or native understory, without first having obtained a permit.
Subsections (B), (C) and (D) apply the identical 4½-inch threshold to undeveloped small tracts, large tracts and land clearing. Native understory vegetation, wax myrtle, saw palmetto, gallberry, elderberry, willow and similar, is regulated alongside the trees.
Mangroves are on a different footing entirely. § 18-403(E): no mangrove of any size or species may be removed, transplanted, pruned, or altered in any way without a permit. Pruning counts.
Palms: only the Cabbage Palm. § 18-412.4(a) exempts every palm other than Sabal palmetto.
Other exemptions (§ 18-412): transplanting a tree under 6" DBH on a small tract; trees at or under 4½" DBH on small tracts with a valid CO, but not if they are required landscaping trees under § 18-1512; bona fide agriculture; and twelve named species including Australian pine, Brazilian pepper, citrus, chinaberry, Chinese tallow, ear tree, eucalyptus, Norfolk Island pine, punk, silk oak and woman’s tongue.
Hatracking counts. § 18-402 defines it as topping or heading, cutting branches back to stubs or the trunk, and § 18-415 imposes the same replacement penalties on a hatracked tree as on one cut down.
There is no "protected tree" definition with a hazard carve-out in Pinellas Park. § 18-402 defines a tree by species and mature height only. Condition changes the fee and the replacement, not the permit.
The two waivers that actually save money, and both need an arborist
This is the most useful thing in Pinellas Park’s code for a homeowner, and it is genuinely unusual:
No fee at all for a dead or hazardous tree, or one causing noncorrectable damage to structures, as documented by an arborist certified by the ISA or a Florida licensed landscape architect (§ 18-420). The standard single-family permit fee is $20.00 per lot; with the documentation it is $0.
Replacement fully waived on residential property for the same category of tree, on the same documentation (§ 18-408(C)(1)), with no exceptions, unlike the non-residential case at (C)(2).
And read this operational line carefully, because it is the part people miss: the documentation must be physically on-site and available for inspection before work begins. § 18-420 says a failure to produce it "shall be a violation of Section 18-403", that is, it is treated as removing the tree without a permit at all.
The provisions that look like exemptions but are not
§ 18-414(B) and (C) exempt hazardous, diseased and pest-infested tree removals from permitting. But read the trigger: both are framed as "the city may require the hazardous tree to be removed" and "An order of removal shall be issued." The exemption attaches to a City-ordered removal, and (B) is further limited to "at the time of development or redevelopment." On its face this is not a self-executing homeowner exemption, and The published code does not contain any City guidance interpreting it otherwise. Verify with Building Development at (727) 369-5647 before anyone tells you no permit is needed on this basis.
Storm damage is not automatic either. § 18-411 lets the City Manager or designee waive the regulations after a hurricane, windstorm, flood, freeze or other disaster, "upon a finding that such waiver is necessary." It requires the finding. Nothing makes it self-executing after a named storm.
Replacement is a lot-size minimum, not inch-for-inch
For a permitted removal, § 18-408(B) sets a minimum tree count for the whole lot, and trees already standing count toward it:
| Lot size (sq ft) | Minimum trees |
|---|---|
| 3,500–5,999 | 2 |
| 6,000–9,499 | 4 |
| 9,500–15,999 | 6 |
| Over 16,000 (per 16,000 sq ft unit) | 8 |
So a homeowner on a 7,000 sq ft lot removing one oak, who still has four qualifying trees standing, has already met the minimum. Existing private mobile home parks under one ownership, and specific common areas within larger developments, replace one-for-one with equal shade-producing species instead. Replacement stock: minimum 1.5" diameter measured 6 inches above ground, 8 feet overall height, Florida Grade #1 or better.
We do not publish a tree bank in-lieu figure. § 18-421(C)(3) ties in-lieu contributions to § 18-1533.11(D), which sits outside Article 4, and no per-inch or per-tree rate appears anywhere in the article.
Start here
Send us a photo of the tree.
You do not have to know whether it needs to come down. That is the part we are for.
- One photo, whole tree in frameTrunk base to top. A close-up of anything that looks wrong helps.
- Text us the photoThe text button below opens the right thread. Add your street and city.
- We come out and lookEvery estimate is in person, free, sometimes the answer is that it needs nothing.
The permit is nearly always granted, but the process is fixed
§ 18-407(B) says that where no significant adverse environmental impact is found and any one of three conditions exists, the City Manager or designee shall issue the permit. The second of those three is broad: "The tree is diseased, injured, in danger of falling, too close to existing or proposed structures, interferes with existing utility service, creates unsafe vision clearance or conflicts with other Ordinances or regulations."
For an existing house, § 18-404(A) needs no site plan, a written request stating the reasons is enough. But an on-site field inspection is mandatory on every application (§ 18-405). Permits are void if work does not start within the time prescribed, not to exceed six months (§ 18-404(G)). Appeals go to the Board of Adjustment within 10 days with a $25 fee.
The tree removal permit is applied for on the City’s Landscape Application, not a form called "Tree Removal Permit", that trips people up. We do not publish a turnaround time; the code sets no review deadline and The published code does not confirm one from a City source.
The penalty, and why every tree counts
§ 18-416: up to $500 or 60 days or both, and "each tree so removed will constitute a separate offense." The section reaches "any agent, contractor, or representative," so the crew is exposed alongside the homeowner.
On top of the fine, § 18-415 applies a sliding scale on residentially-zoned parcels: replacement trees, or a cash penalty calculated as a percentage of the tree’s value under the ISA Shade Tree Value Formula:
| DBH violated | Tree replacement | or ISA cash value |
|---|---|---|
| 4½"–10" | Tree for tree | 20% |
| Over 10" to 15" | 40% of total inches | 20% |
| Over 15" to 20" | 60% of total inches | 30% |
| Over 20" to 25" | 80% of total inches | 30% |
| Greater than 25" | 100% of total inches | 40% |
Non-residentially-zoned parcels are stricter: straight inch-for-inch. And the City may establish the number and size of the trees you removed "by surveys, field inspection, aerial interpretation, or statistical analysis of trees on adjacent properties." The dollar output of the ISA formula depends on species, size, condition and location and cannot be stated in advance.
For park managers and Gateway commercial property
Two things differ from the residential picture. First, the § 18-408(C)(1) replacement waiver for dead or hazardous trees is unconditional on residential property but conditional on non-residential, (C)(2) reinstates one-for-one replacement if the removal drops the site below the minimum tree count or if the trees satisfied § 18-1533. Second, the fee schedule is per lot or per acre, not per tree: $20 for a lot of an acre or less, $40 for more than an acre or per acre in a subdivision, and $40 per acre for land clearing or grubbing. Mobile home park lots are exempt from the minimum-tree-count requirement; replacements go into common areas.
Frequently asked questions
Is the threshold four inches or four and a half? Four and a half. Pinellas Park is the only jurisdiction in the county at 4½", and half an inch is the difference between a permit and a violation.
Do my queen palms need a permit? No. Only the Cabbage Palm (Sabal palmetto) is regulated; § 18-412.4(a) exempts all other palms.
My oak is dead. What does that get me? With an ISA-certified arborist’s or Florida licensed landscape architect’s documentation: no permit fee at all, and replacement fully waived on residential property. The permit itself is still the right step, and the documentation has to be on-site before work starts or it is treated as an unpermitted removal.
The county says 24 inches on a homesteaded lot. Does that apply? No. That is a Pinellas County threshold for unincorporated property. Pinellas Park’s 4½-inch rule is far stricter and governs inside city limits. The City has published no position on the county’s January 2026 article, its own code predates it.
Does the state dangerous-tree statute apply in Pinellas Park? It binds the City as a matter of law, but the City has published nothing about it, the code contains no reference to it and we found none on the City site either. We will not represent it as Pinellas Park’s stated policy. Read the statute page and note that it covers single-family detached homes only, which excludes a lot of this city’s duplex, mobile home and multi-family stock.
Verified against the Pinellas Park Land Development Code Ch. 18 Art. 4 (Supp. No. 30) as of July 2026. Ordinances change, if a detail matters to your decision, confirm the current text with the city first.
Call (727) 365-1803. See also tree service in Pinellas Park and tree removal in Pinellas Park.
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Reviews · Tree Removal Permits in Pinellas Park, FL
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“We were looking for a tree service with a certified arborist. We got just what we needed with Happy Tree Service. Steve gave an estimate and knowledgeable advice. They arrived on time did an excellent job and cleaned up all debris. We recommend them and will use them again.”
“Happy trees did an amazing job cutting my trees and providing information. Steve was really nice and knowledgeable. Great communication and pricing. Definitely will be using their service again!!”
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