Tree Protection in Gainesville, FL (2026)
3 verified tree protection rules for Gainesville, Florida, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Heritage & Protected Trees
Gainesville's land development code singles out heritage trees, generally those over 20 inches in diameter, for stronger construction-site protection than ordinary regulated trees, requiring galvanized chain link barricades instead of the wood-post-and-mesh barriers used elsewhere on a site, plus heavier mitigation when one is removed.
Heritage Tree Protection Rules in Gainesville
Some RestrictionsGainesville Land Development Code § 30-8.8(B)(1)
High quality heritage trees shall be protected by galvanized chain link fencing a minimum of 48 inches high, 11.5-gauge wire, two and three-eighths inch mesh size secured with one and seven-eighths inch line posts no further than ten feet apart secured at a depth of three feet below soil line. Corners shall be secured with two and three-eighths inch line posts secured to a depth of four feet be...
Protected Tree Species
Gainesville singles out "heritage" and "champion" trees for its strictest protection. A tree over 20 inches diameter (30 inches for water oak, laurel oak, sweetgum, loblolly and slash pine) qualifies as heritage, and only the tree advisory board can approve removing a champion tree, the largest of its species on the state register.
Heritage and Champion Tree Rules in Gainesville
Significant RestrictionsGainesville LDC § 30-8.7.A; § 30-2.1 (Heritage trees, Champion tree)
Heritage trees means trees that are larger than 20 inches diameter breast height; except for Water Oaks (quercus nigra), Laurel Oaks (Quercus hemispherica), Sweetgums (Liquidambar styraciflua), Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda) and Slash Pine (Pinus elliottii), which become heritage trees only when they are larger than 30 inches diameter breast height. ... Champion tree means those trees that are the...
Parkway Planting
New developments in Gainesville must line every street frontage with trees. LDC Sec. 30-8.5.G requires a street tree every 30 to 50 feet of frontage, spaced no closer than 25 feet or farther than 60 feet apart, planted in an eight-foot-wide tree lawn or a four-by-four-foot tree well.
Street Tree Planting Rules in Gainesville
Some RestrictionsGainesville LDC § 30-8.5.G; § 30-2.1 (Tree lawn)
Tree lawn means a pervious area between the back-of-curb and sidewalk or along the street edge intended for the planting of street trees. ... G.Street trees. Street trees shall be planted along the sides of all streets within a development and on the development side of any contiguous street. Street trees shall be planted for every 30 to 50 feet of street frontage, depending on the canopy area ...
Looking for Alachua County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Gainesville city rules.
Tree Protection in Alachua County →