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

7, makes a removal permit mandatory for any living regulated tree, defined elsewhere in the code as eight inches or greater in diameter (pines are regulated only at 20 inches). On single-family lots the permit requirement narrows to champion trees and heritage trees, meaning most ordinary yard trees can come down without city sign-off. Champion trees, the largest of their species on the state's Champion Tree Register, can only be approved for removal, relocation, or replacement by the tree advisory board; every other regulated tree goes through the city manager or a designee.

Mitigation is required either way, through inch-for-inch replacement plantings of high-quality shade species from the Gainesville Tree List, or through a mitigation payment based on the tree's appraised value that is deposited into the city's tree mitigation fund. For single-family lots, a high-quality heritage tree in fair or better condition removed anywhere on the property triggers inch-for-inch replacement with a minimum of two shade trees planted on site. Removal tied to a subdivision plat or development plan is folded into that plan review rather than requiring a separate permit, and construction drawings must be filed with the building department before any cutting starts.

The code also allows emergency removal without a prior permit for the immediate protection of public health, safety, or welfare, but the property owner must file the permit application on the next city work day and still complete mitigation. Commercial tree removal permits, used for forestry management or timber harvest with no accompanying development, require mailed notice to all adjacent property owners at least 15 days before the permit is granted and a posted sign at least five days out; if 20 percent or more of the notified owners file a written objection, the development review board must hold a public hearing before deciding.