Pinellas County tree removal permits: when you need one

The article covers property in both the cities and the unincorporated county, but where a city's own ordinance conflicts with it, the city's rule wins.³ The county issues tree permits for unincorporated Pinellas, Belleair Bluffs and Belleair Shore. Anywhere else, it sends you to your city, and its address lookup tool shows which applies to you.⁴ A tree in the public right-of-way needs a Utilization Permit instead.⁵

You need a permit to remove, effectively remove or transplant a protected tree. Protected trees are:⁶

• any tree 4 inches or more in diameter at breast height (DBH), measured 4.5 feet above the ground;
• every palm 6 feet tall or taller;
• on a homesteaded lot with a single-family house that's actively lived in as one, only trees more than 24 inches DBH.

The county says the 24-inch rule doesn't cover a house that's vacant, rented or being demolished for redevelopment.⁷ "Effectively remove" means cutting a tree so hard that its natural function and form are severely impacted, topping and heavy root pruning included.⁸ Routine trimming that follows ANSI A300 pruning standards needs no permit. Dead trees still need one, and so do invasive trees.⁵

Under Florida law, a county can't require a permit, fee or replanting to prune, trim or remove a tree on a single-family home's lot when the owner has documentation from an ISA certified arborist or a Florida licensed landscape architect that the tree poses an unacceptable risk to people or property. The assessment has to follow the tree risk assessment method the statute names. Mangroves aren't covered.⁹

County staff rate each tree from 0 to 3, or you can pay a qualified professional to rate it and the county makes the final call.⁶ A dead, dying, nuisance or invasive tree is grade 0 and needs no replacement. A healthier tree needs replants by its size and grade:¹⁰

A grade 2 or 3 tree can come down only for the reasons the code lists, such as interfering with utilities or threatening public health or safety, as county staff verify. A replant has to be at least 1.5 inches DBH and 6 feet tall.⁸ Where replanting on the lot isn't feasible, you may pay into the county's Tree Bank Fund instead,¹¹ at $300.00 per tree for single-family, duplex and triplex lots.¹²

Apply through the Pinellas County Access Portal: choose Develop, then Create an Application, then Tree Removal/Habitat Permit, and upload a Habitat & Tree Management Permit Application and a site plan or survey showing the tree.⁴ Owners can apply themselves without an arborist, or sign a form letting a tree service apply. After a complete application, staff usually inspect within one to two business days, so mark the trees and secure pets. The Tree Desk is (727) 464-3480, treepermit@pinellas.gov.⁵

The application fee is $50.00 for single-family, duplex and triplex lots, and an invasive tree permit is free.¹² A permit expires 90 days after it's issued unless it says otherwise.¹³

The county can require replacement trees, a Tree Bank Fund payment or both, stop the work, refuse other permits for the site until it's resolved, or issue an after-the-fact permit with after-the-fact fees. The penalty for a tree removed or effectively removed without authorization is $150 per DBH inch, paid into the Tree Bank Fund, and the replanting rules still apply. The county can size a removed tree from surveys, inspections or aerial images. Whoever caused the violation and whoever has an interest in the property can both be held liable.³