Highlands County, FL Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Highlands 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
- Land clearing permit before any building permit
- Triggers full ECR review
- Listed species/resource found on site
- Agricultural exemption
- Bona fide ag operations on ag-designated land
- Exemption tradeoff
- 3-year bar on non-ag development after clearing
- Illegal clearing penalty
- Mitigation fee plus 3-year clearing/development bar
Summary
Clearing trees and vegetation on development sites in unincorporated Highlands County requires a county land clearing permit whenever natural, archaeological or historical resources are known to exist on the property. Highlands County Code § 12.12.620 ties that permit to the county's environmental clearance process and imposes real penalties, including a three-year building freeze, for clearing land illegally.
C.Land clearing permits. ... Land clearing permits are required for approval of all building permits. Except as provided in section 12.12.620.E. of this division and the land clearing definition in sections 12.12.620.A. and B. above, no land clearing shall be allowed to commence on a site where natural, archaeological, or historical resources are known to exist without first obtaining a county land clearing permit. ... F.Penalties for illegal land clearing. The county, in consultation with the property owner, shall impose one or more of the following penalties as appropriate if land is cleared without appropriate environmental clearance review or a county land clearing permit:1.A penalty mitigation fee shall be imposed based on a set of fees approved by the BCC, based on the amount of land cleared; or2.No development or additional land clearing shall be permitted for a period of three years after such clearing; or3.The vegetation shall be replaced or the habitat allowed to restore itself through development and implementation of a management plan.
Full Breakdown
620(B) exempts certain listed activities from needing a permit even on parcels shown on the county's conservation overlay map. 611, such as scrub jays, gopher tortoises or listed scrub plants endemic to the Lake Wales Ridge, the permit is issued only in accordance with the county's environmental clearance regulations. 604. 620(E) carves out a genuine agricultural exemption for bona fide agricultural operations clearing land they own for crops, silviculture or livestock on property designated agricultural, but that exemption comes with a three-year lock-out on any non-agricultural development order for the same site after the clearing is finished. 620(D) for obtaining any state or federal permits needed before clearing land where a protected resource exists.
Violations & Fines
Section 12.12.620(F) lets the county impose a penalty mitigation fee based on a BCC-approved fee schedule tied to the amount of land cleared, bar all development or additional clearing on the site for three years, require replacement of the vegetation or restoration of the habitat through a management plan, and penalize a land clearing company or contractor who clears without a permit on an owner's behalf; penalty fees collected are deposited into the county's conservation trust fund, and the decision to impose a penalty can be appealed under section 12.12.619(J).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit before clearing trees on my property in unincorporated Highlands County?
What happens if I clear land without the required permit?
Is there an exemption for farmers who need to clear land?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Highlands County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Highlands County to another location·View the Florida landscaping rules overview
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