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Tree Removal Permits in St. Petersburg, FL
St. Pete's tree rules are the strictest in the county, and grand trees have their own standard. Here is how the process actually works.
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St. Petersburg is the largest city we work in and it runs the most layered tree code in Pinellas County. It also publishes the most thorough guidance in the county on the one state law that can bypass a permit, and it says out loud that it will report an arborist who misuses that law.
The rules are in Chapter 16, Land Development Regulations, mainly § 16.40.060.5 (tree protection), with the definitions at § 16.90.020.3 and the permit mechanics at § 16.70.030.1.12. Urban Forestry administers them: trees@stpete.org, 727-463-5680.
Four tiers of tree, not one
All from § 16.90.020.3:
Protected tree
any shade tree 4" DBH or larger, and any understory tree 8" DBH or larger, that is not listed as unprotected or prohibited.
Grand tree
any protected tree 30" DBH or larger. Grand trees expressly do not include laurel oaks.
Signature tree
a non-native species recognized for its size, prevalence and history: Royal Poinciana or Jacaranda at 8" DBH or larger, or Kapok or Banyan at 30" DBH or larger.
Specimen tree
any shade tree 12" DBH or larger.
A permit is required to remove any Grand, Protected or Signature tree, and to remove any native palm with four feet or more of clear trunk measured from the base of the lowest green frond (§ 16.40.060.5.3(A)–(B)). It is also required to trim any branch eight inches or greater in diameter on a Grand tree, measured at the branch collar, a rule almost nobody knows about until they have broken it.
No permit is required for unprotected or prohibited species (§ 16.40.060.5.3(H)). The unprotected list at § 16.40.060.2.1.6(C) includes avocado, camphor, cherry laurel, all citrus, eucalyptus (except silver dollar), ficus, jacaranda, loquat, mango, Norfolk Island pine, Royal Poinciana, silk oak and woman’s tongue, with an important footnote in the code itself: Jacaranda and Royal Poinciana over 8" DBH, and Banyan and Kapok over 30" DBH, are signature trees and may therefore need a permit anyway.
Trimming is regulated even where removal is not. § 16.40.060.3.1(C) makes it unlawful to damage, top or injure any tree other than an unprotected or prohibited species regardless of condition, requires that pruning not alter natural form, and caps trimming at one-quarter of the canopy in any year unless the tree is dead.
Getting a Grand tree approved
Hazard is a criterion for granting a permit here, not for skipping one. Under § 16.40.060.5.4(A)(1) a Grand tree may be removed if:
- it presents a safety hazard to public or private property due to proximity to an existing structure, the applicant may support this with a signed report from a licensed engineer; or
- it is diseased, injured or in declining condition with no reasonable assurance of regaining vigor, and the applicant provides a written report signed by a certified arborist; or
- it stands where an approved plan places a structure, improvement or access point, and a licensed architect, landscape architect or engineer determines the design cannot reasonably be changed to save it.
Other protected trees have a parallel list at § 16.40.060.5.4(A)(2), including imminent hazard to an existing or proposed structure and decline with no reasonable assurance of recovery.
Storms, mangroves and the money
Storm waiver is discretionary. § 16.40.060.5.3(G) lets the Planning and Development Services Director waive the regulations in emergencies such as hurricane, windstorm, flood or freeze, but only "upon a finding that such waiver is necessary." It is not self-executing and no homeowner can invoke it unilaterally.
Mangroves are outside city jurisdiction. § 16.40.060.5.1 states the City is preempted by the State under the Mangrove Trimming and Preservation Act.
Replacement on a one- or two-unit residential property (§ 16.40.060.5.3(F)): for each tree removed that puts the property under the minimum required tree standard, one shade tree is planted. Where planting is not reasonably possible the Director may approve a payment in lieu of $500.00 per tree into the environmental enhancement fund. The minimum standard is two shade trees on a minimum-size lot, scaled up proportionally when the lot exceeds the zoning district minimum (§ 16.40.060.2.1.1). Existing homes that already fall short are not required to plant up to the standard, only removals that create the deficit trigger it.
Removing without a permit blocks your other permits. § 16.40.060.5.3(E): no development permits issue until a tree restoration plan is submitted and approved.
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.
Penalties, and why they reach the tree company
§ 16.40.060.5.6: $500 fine per conviction. An after-the-fact permit may be issued only if you can show the removal criteria would have been met at the time; if you cannot, no after-the-fact permit issues and you are simply in violation. A second violation within five years of an after-the-fact permit bars a second one. Replacement trees are required as mitigation, and in lieu of replanting the city may take the full value of the trees under the Trunk Formula Method published by the Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers.
And § 16.40.060.5.5 is explicit that all of this applies to "any person who removes… any trees on behalf of any other person, including all tree removal companies." Hiring an unpermitted cut-rate crew in St. Petersburg buys you a shared liability.
Applying
Applications go through the Building Permit Portal or by email to trees@stpete.org. The City states staff "endeavors to inspect the tree within two weeks after the $25 initial inspection fee has been paid," and that once the City arborist approves the inspection and the permit fee is paid, the permit must be posted so it is visible from the street. Permits are valid six months (§ 16.70.030.1.12(D)). Decisions may be appealed to the DRC (§ 16.40.060.5.4(A)(3)).
We do not publish the permit fee itself or the after-the-fact fee. The code says both are "established by City Council" and the current resolution amount is not published online. The $25 inspection fee is the only figure verified in a primary source.
The statutory route, and St. Pete’s warning about it
St. Petersburg publishes the county’s most detailed § 163.045 policy. In the City’s own words, a tree removal permit must be obtained for code-protected trees "unless exempted by Florida Statute 163.045," and the City sets out the conditions: the owner must possess signed on-site documentation from an ISA Certified Arborist or Florida licensed landscape architect performed to the ISA Tree Risk Assessment BMP, 2nd Edition; it must establish unacceptable risk as the statute defines it; and the property must be a single-family detached home actively used as one.
The City also states plainly that it will not apply its own definitions of "dangerous" or "hazardous" tree in deciding whether the statutory exemption applies, that documentation lacking an on-site assessment and a signature cannot be verified and may draw a notice of violation, and that it will report a certified arborist or licensed landscape architect to the ISA or the Department of Professional Regulation where it finds the documentation was used to remove trees in violation of the exemption. It asks residents to email qualifying documentation to trees@stpete.org so the removal can be tracked.
That is the most serious enforcement posture on this statute anywhere in the county. Read the full statute page before anyone relies on it.
Frequently asked questions
Is my laurel oak a Grand tree? No. The definition expressly excludes laurel oaks, however large. It can still be a protected tree at 4" DBH.
Can I trim my Grand oak without asking? Only up to a point. Any branch 8 inches or greater in diameter needs a permit, and no tree here may have more than a quarter of its canopy taken in a year unless it is dead.
Does the county’s 24-inch homestead threshold apply in St. Pete? No. That is a Pinellas County rule for unincorporated property. St. Petersburg protects shade trees at 4" and understory trees at 8", and being the more restrictive rule, it is what you have to satisfy. How the county’s January 2026 article interacts with Chapter 16 inside city limits is not published, so the honest answer is that St. Petersburg has its own code and you apply to the City.
What happens if the tree is already down? An after-the-fact permit is possible, but only if the removal criteria would have been met at the time. Otherwise you are in violation, replacement is required, and the city may value the tree by Trunk Formula Method.
Verified against St. Petersburg Code Ch. 16, codified through Ord. No. 632-H (Supp. No. 54), and the City’s published Urban Forestry guidance, 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 St. Petersburg and tree removal in St. Petersburg.
Google reviews
Rated 4.9 by 462 of your neighbors.
Reviews · Tree Removal Permits in St. Petersburg, FL
4.9
462 reviews on Google, the count on our public Google listing
“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!!”
“Fast quote and when we decided it was time to remove our Oak, they were there on time and ready to get to work. They have all the equipment necessary for this huge job and work very efficiently.”
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