Citrus County, FL Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

Section 5705 of the LDC's Chapter Five, Landscaping, Buffering and Tree Preservation (Ord. 2025-A04, March 11, 2025), defines a protected tree as any perennial, woody plant measuring four inches or greater dbh, measured four and one-half feet above grade. Under Sec. C, a protected tree cannot be removed without first obtaining a development permit for a principal residential or nonresidential use, filed and reviewed under the LDC's permit procedure. Sec. E defines 'tree removal' broadly to include felling, topping, pruning more than 30 percent of a tree's crown, or damaging its branches, trunk or root system enough to shorten its life; a Forestry Consultant, Certified Arborist or other qualified professional can be called on to document that damage.

Sec. 5715 lists exemptions from the permit requirement: removal on a residential lot already developed with a habitable dwelling; removal on publicly owned land with the managing agency's approval; agricultural operations allowed in the applicable land use district; utility installation and maintenance within existing rights-of-way or easements, though work in a protected scenic road corridor still needs a permit; Public Works right-of-way maintenance and emergency work; and removal of trees that are fallen, dead, terminally diseased, or listed as invasive under the LDC or by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council.

Nonresidential projects must additionally maintain a minimum tree count under Sec. 5725, ten trees per acre. This chapter governs unincorporated Citrus County only; Crystal River and Inverness enforce their own separate tree codes inside city limits.