Tree Protection in St. Johns County, FL (2026)

2 rules for unincorporated St. Johns County, Florida.

Verified from official government sources

Note: These county rules apply to unincorporated areas of St. Johns County. If you live within an incorporated city, that city's own rules apply: see the city list below.

Protected Tree Species

St. Johns County's Land Development Code protects any tree of 8 inches or more in diameter at breast height, and drops that threshold to just 2 inches for Southern red cedar and sand live oak east of the Intracoastal Waterway. A 35-species Specimen Tree table sets separate, often smaller, DBH cutoffs that trigger extra county protection.

St. Johns County Protected Tree Species Rules

Significant Restrictions

St. Johns County Land Development Code, Art. XII (Definitions), "Protected Tree"

Protected Tree: Any Tree having a Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) of eight (8) inches or greater, excluding Exempt Trees. Native Southern red cedar (Juniperus silicicola) and Sand live oak (Quercus geminata) with a DBH two (2) inches or greater shall be a Protected Tree whenever it occurs on lands lying east of the Intracoastal Waterway, Tolomato River or Matanzas River. Any Tree preserved or p...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Parkway Planting

Within the Vilano Beach Town Center Overlay District, Section 3.10.05.L.4.h requires street trees to be Cabbage Palms with a clear trunk of 12 to 18 feet, spaced on average 20 feet on center where planted in a sidewalk area, and irrigated by a bubbler head delivering at least 0.25 gallons per minute.

St. Johns County Street Tree Planting Standards

Some Restrictions

St. Johns County Land Development Code § 3.10.05.L.4.h

h. Street Trees: ... (1) Where required by this ordinance, a Street Tree shall be a Cabbage Palm (Sabal palmetto) with a clear trunk dimension of between twelve (12) feet and eighteen (18) feet when measured from the finished street elevation directly below the Street Tree. ... (2) Street Trees required in a sidewalk area shall be planted in a random pattern within the required planting area on...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

All St. Johns County ordinances

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