Leon County, FL Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Leon 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
- General protection threshold
- 18 inches DBH or greater
- Canopy road trees
- protected at any size
- Permit authority
- County Administrator or designee
- Unpermitted removal penalty
- replacement credits doubled
- Standard replanting ratio
- 40 tree credits per acre
- Residential exemption cap
- under 36 inches DBH, existing home
Summary
In unincorporated Leon County, any tree of 18 inches DBH or greater is a protected tree and cannot be cut down without an approved permit or exemption from the County Administrator's office. Approval requires proof of a safety hazard, disease, essential construction access, or another qualifying condition, and unpermitted removal doubles the replanting obligation.
(a)Criteria for protected tree removal. The County Administrator or designee shall approve a permit or exemption for removal of a protected tree, as defined in sections 10-1.101 and 10-4.363, if the applicant demonstrates the presence of one or more of the following conditions:(1)Safety hazard. Necessity to remove a tree which poses a safety hazard to pedestrians or other persons, buildings or other property, or vehicular traffic, or which threatens to cause disruption of public services....(4)Reasonable and permissible use of property. Tree removal which is essential for reasonable and permissible use of property, or necessary for construction of essential improvements...(b)Tree replanting requirements.(1)Replanting schedule. As a condition of the issuance of a permit for removal of a protected tree, a satisfactory plan shall be presented by the applicant for the successful replacement of trees to be removed... If protected trees are removed without permit or otherwise in violation of this subdivision, this second option must be used and the number of required replacement tree credits in the schedule shall be doubled.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 12).
Full Breakdown
The county's Environmental Management Act protects trees at 18 inches DBH generally, four inches DBH along a development's lot perimeter zone, and any size within a canopy road tree protection zone (Sec. 362). To remove one, an applicant must show the County Administrator or designee one of five qualifying conditions under Sec. from a Society of American Foresters school or a certified arborist; good forestry practices such as reducing competition or replacing exotics with natives; reasonable and permissible use of the property, including up to 20 feet of construction access around a structure; or compliance with another county code.
Detached single-family homes get a narrower exemption for trees under 36 inches DBH, provided the tree is not in a wetland, floodplain, canopy road zone, required buffer, or a patriarch or exceptional specimen. Anyone granted a removal permit must submit a replanting plan: either 40 tree credits per developed acre (20 for public roadway projects) or a diameter-based schedule ranging from 40 credits for a tree over 60 inches DBH down to one credit for a 2 to 3 inch tree. Off-site replanting agreements and monetary payments to the county are allowed when the site cannot hold the required trees.
Violations & Fines
Removing a protected tree without an approved permit or outside an exemption is a violation of the Environmental Management Act. Sec. 10-4.364(b)(1) requires that the diameter-based replacement schedule be used, and it doubles the required replacement tree credits when a removal happens without a permit or otherwise in violation of the subdivision, on top of any code enforcement citation and stop-work order tied to an active environmental management permit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to cut down a large oak on my unincorporated Leon County lot?
What happens if I remove a protected tree without a permit?
Can I remove a protected tree because it's diseased?
How many replacement trees do I owe for a removed tree over 60 inches DBH?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Leon County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Leon County to another location·View the Florida landscaping rules overview
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