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

5, Article II of the Clay County Code of Ordinances applies its tree preservation rules to commercial, industrial, and other nonsingle-family development, to county and other publicly owned projects, and to single-family residential construction, but only within the unincorporated county. Commercial and industrial builders cannot obtain a building permit unless the application includes a tree preservation plan employing sound preservation practices under Sec. 5-23 and it is approved by a site plan reviewer. That plan must show which protected trees will be removed, relocated, or retained, describe replacement measures, and note grade changes and drainage impacts.

A 'protected tree' under Sec. 5-22 is any tree, other than a pine, at least six inches in caliper within twenty feet of a street right-of-way, eight inches within ten feet of a property line, or twelve inches anywhere on the lot; pine trees, timber lands, agricultural land, and utility easements are exempt outside the Branan Field Corridor and Greater Lake Asbury District. For single-family lots, county building inspectors check at the foundation inspection and all later inspections that protective barriers and preservation practices are followed for every tree six inches DBH or larger left standing after clearing.

Positional-conflict trees must be barricaded before construction starts and given deep-root fertilization after final grading if over twelve inches DBH. Removed protected trees generally must be replaced: live oaks with live oaks matching the caliper removed, other species at thirty-three percent of caliper removed, rising to one hundred percent where the county finds significant canopy loss.