Escambia County, FL Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Escambia County, FL, sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances, list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Key Facts
- Permit required
- Before removing any protected tree (LDC § 2-3.6)
- Protected tree size
- 12 inches DBH or larger
- Heritage tree size
- 60 inches DBH or larger
- Removal grounds
- Must meet 1 of 6 DSM § 2-5.1 criteria
- Replacement ratio
- 50% of removed DBH in new caliper inches
- Enforcement
- County code enforcement citations, LDC Chapter 30
Summary
Removing a protected tree in unincorporated Escambia County needs a county permit under LDC § 2-3.6, and staff can only approve it if you meet one of six removal grounds in DSM Chapter 2 § 2-5.1. Protected trees start at 12 inches trunk diameter, with special status for heritage trees 60 inches or larger.
A tree removal permit is required prior to removing or otherwise causing unnatural decline by irreparable injury to any protected tree unless that activity is authorized through site development or other compliance review provisions of this chapter. The process to authorize the removal of a protected tree is established in the DSM. [...] Each proposed removal of a protected tree must be shown necessary by one or more of the following conditions: ... (f)Poor condition. The tree is confirmed by a certified arborist or county staff to be diseased or substantially weakened by age, abuse, storm damage, or fire; or is otherwise determined to have major defects in structural or functional health beyond reasonable recovery or repair. [...] The penalty for the unauthorized removal of a protected tree shall be the cost necessary to replace the total tree trunk diameter (DBH) inches removed with the same total caliper inches of standard replacement trees according to the current adopted fee schedule.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 113).
Full Breakdown
6 requires a tree removal permit before removing or causing the unnatural decline of any protected tree, on public or private land, unless the removal is folded into an approved site development or land disturbance review. 1 defines a protected tree as any tree 12 inches or more in diameter at breast height (DBH), a sand live oak on Pensacola Beach or Perdido Key with five or more stems (or three stems of three inches DBH or more), any tree planted to satisfy a landscaping requirement, and any "heritage tree" 60 inches DBH or larger, which carries a greater protected status.
1 requires the applicant show one of six conditions: reasonable use of the site is otherwise impossible, the tree blocks all access to the lot, it materially threatens a structure's safety, it interferes with road or utility installation, it creates a traffic hazard, or a certified arborist or county staff confirms it is diseased or structurally unsound beyond repair. 2 requires replacement plantings totaling at least 50 percent of the removed tree's DBH in new caliper inches, capped at 25 caliper inches per acre for non-heritage trees.
2(b)(1) carves protected trees back in except as described in DSM § 2-1(e), which still charges a tree restoration fee, set by the Board of County Commissioners, on any building permit for a home that removes a non-heritage tree.
Violations & Fines
Unauthorized removal of a protected tree, including killing it through irreparable injury, is billed at the cost to replace the tree's full trunk diameter in caliper inches of standard replacement trees, priced off the county's adopted fee schedule; officials may reduce that cost only on a certified arborist's assessment, never below one replacement tree. Topping or over-pruning more than 30 percent of a tree's canopy draws the same replacement-cost fine, and each unmaintained tree-protection barrier required during construction costs one more replacement tree. Escambia County code enforcement officers issue the citations under LDC Chapter 30.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to cut down a tree on my property in unincorporated Escambia County?
What happens if I remove a protected tree without a permit?
Are trees on my house lot exempt from these rules?
How many replacement trees does removal require?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Escambia County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Escambia County to another location·View the Florida landscaping rules overview
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