Whether you need a permit to remove a tree in Pinellas County depends on where the property is, how big the tree is, and whether a state exemption applies.
Unincorporated Pinellas County. A Habitat Permit (Land Development Code Sec. 138-3654) is required to remove healthy trees with a trunk diameter of 4 inches or more measured at breast height (DBH), palms 6 feet or taller, and all mangroves and buttonwoods. Effective January 23, 2026, homesteaded single-family properties get significant relief: they only need permits for trees greater than 24 inches DBH. Mitigation, either replacement planting or payment into the Tree Bank Fund, may be required. Contact: 727-464-3480 or [email protected]. unverified
St. Petersburg. The city requires permits for code-protected trees: shade trees 4 inches DBH and up, understory trees 8 inches DBH and up. Grand trees (30 inches DBH or more, excluding laurel oaks) receive heightened protection, and listed signature species have their own thresholds. The initial inspection fee is $25, applications go through the Building Permit Portal or [email protected], and permits are valid six months. Other cities (Clearwater, Largo, Dunedin, and the rest) have their own tree codes; check before cutting. unverified
The state danger-tree exemption. Florida Statute 163.045 overrides local permitting for residential property: a local government may not require a notice, application, approval, permit, fee, or mitigation for pruning, trimming, or removal of a tree on a single-family detached residential lot when the owner has documentation from an ISA-certified arborist or a Florida licensed landscape architect that the tree poses an unacceptable risk, meaning removal is the only way to reduce its risk below moderate under ISA tree risk assessment practices. Local governments also cannot require replanting in that case. The exemption applies to actively used single-family residential property only, not commercial land, vacant lots, or common areas.
Mangroves are different. Mangrove trimming and alteration are regulated under a separate state law (the Mangrove Trimming and Preservation Act) with county involvement, and the danger-tree exemption does not free you from those rules.
Practical advice: photograph the tree, get the arborist letter first when claiming the state exemption, keep it on file, and if a permit is needed, confirm mitigation requirements before removal. Fines for unpermitted removal can substantially exceed permit costs.