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

Section 34-744(a) reaches further than a chainsaw. It also bans any act that physically causes the clearing of a site or the destruction of a protected tree, and it names damage to the root system from heavy equipment or from changes to the existing grade as examples. The rules apply to all development in Jacksonville Beach under § 34-742, including an expansion equal to fifty (50) percent of the assessed value of the existing use or a fifty (50) percent increase in structure square footage.

The permit is tied to development. Under § 34-744(d), before any permit for construction, improvement, paving or surfacing is issued under the LDC, the applicant must apply for the site clearing and tree removal permit at the Planning and Development Department. The plans must include a survey showing the location, common name and DBH of protected trees to be removed, relocated or retained, a listing by type and size summarizing the removal and replacement proposal, and a statement explaining why any protected tree is to be removed or relocated. Plans are required for developments of all types except construction of a single-family dwelling on a lot of less than one-half (½) acre, where the owner can prepare the plans and application.

The department decides using printed standards in § 34-744(d)(3): safety hazards to traffic or buildings, diseased or weakened trees, the proposed replacement landscaping, topography and the effect on erosion and surface water, the need to remove trees to build improvements, hardship to the applicant if the permit is denied, and the species and size of the tree, including whether it is an exceptional specimen tree. Inspections happen before development plan approval, during construction and after landscaping is installed.

Removal triggers replacement under § 34-744(f). Replacement must at least equal one-third (⅓) of the total DBH removed, while Live Oaks and specimen trees are replaced with at least one (1) inch of diameter for each one (1) inch of DBH removed. A site that cannot hold the replacement trees pays market price for shade trees plus a contribution to the tree protection trust fund, priced at the retail cost of a two (2) inch caliper oak for every two (2) inches, or fraction thereof, of replacement trees requiring compensation. No replacement is required for trees found dead or deteriorated, but a certified Arborist must give written notification before any action.