Tree removal permits in the City of Miami
When the City of Miami requires a permit to remove, move or trim a tree, which trees are too small to need one, what you send with the application, and how the permit is issued.
On this page: 4 sections
Chapter 17 of the City of Miami's code protects the city's trees. No one may remove or relocate a tree on property it covers without first getting a tree removal permit, unless the rules exempt the work.1 This guide covers the City of Miami's rules only, not the rest of Miami-Dade County.
When you need a permit
- Removing or moving a tree on private property, or in the swale next to it, needs a tree permit. So does an after-the-fact permit for work already done.2
- Trimming needs a permit when you'd prune more than 25 percent of a tree's canopy, crown or living foliage within one year.1
- Small trees don't need a permit to remove: a hardwood under 2 inches in diameter and 12 feet tall, or a palm under 6 inches in diameter and 16 feet tall. Diameter is measured 4½ feet above the ground.2
The city notes that prohibited species and dead trees most likely won't need replacement planting or a permit fee.2
A tree that's a danger to your house
Under Florida law, a city can't require a notice, application, approval, permit, fee or replanting to prune, trim or remove a tree at a single-family home when the owner has documentation that the tree poses an unacceptable risk to people or property. The documentation has to be an onsite tree risk assessment, signed by an arborist certified by the International Society of Arboriculture or a Florida licensed landscape architect. The law doesn't apply to mangroves.3
What to send
For a permit with no other construction, the city asks for:2
- A written statement of the reason for the work.
- A tree and boundary survey no more than a year old, showing every tree on the site and in the right of way, with each one's species, location, height, spread and diameter. For a house or duplex, the owner or the owner's representative can prepare it. A commercial property needs a Florida licensed surveyor.
- A tree replacement or landscaping plan drawn to scale, showing where relocated and new trees will go. If the required replacement trees can't fit on the property, the city takes alternatives, such as planting off-site or paying into its Tree Trust Fund.
- Photographs of the trees, or an arborist's report. A report isn't always required, but the city says reviewers often ask for one.
Tree work that's part of new construction goes through a separate tree permit, filed as a sub-permit of the construction permit.2
How the permit is issued
The steps, from the city's standalone tree permit page:2
- Apply online through the city's iBuild system, choosing "Tree Permit" as the job category, and upload your documents when the city emails you. You can also take paper documents to the Building Department, 444 SW 2nd Ave., 4th floor.
- Answer the reviewers' comments. If a project has no activity for six months, the application is treated as abandoned.
- When the plans are approved, there's a 10-day waiting period in which someone affected can appeal the decision. With no appeal, the application is approved.
- Pay the review fees, pull the permit, pay the permit fees, and print the permit card. Keep it and the approved plans at the site while the work is done.
The Environmental Resources Division answers questions at 786-570-2934 or EnvironmentalRes@miamigov.com.4
City of Miami Building Department, Environmental Resources Division, and Florida Statutes, checked October 2026.
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