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

Sec. 21-23 sets a short but absolute rule for right-of-way trees: no trees shall be removed from the public right-of-way except under the direction of the city manager or his or her designee. That leaves no self-help option for a resident or contractor who wants a right-of-way tree taken down; the removal has to be directed by the city manager's office rather than simply requested and approved on paper. This section dates to the 1978 Code and Ord. No. 83-18 (1983) and sits in Chapter 21's streets and public places article, alongside the city's street naming and building numbering rules.

Separately, Sec. 19-25 confirms that Largo's incorporated area is exempted from Pinellas County's Tree Removal Regulating Ordinance No. 76-16, meaning county tree rules do not reach into the city and Largo's own code controls instead. 00 per caliper inch of tree removed, confirming that a permit and per-inch fee structure exists for tree removal citywide, administered by the Community Development Department. However, the substantive standards for what qualifies as a protected tree, mitigation and replacement requirements, and permit procedures for private property are set out in the Largo Comprehensive Development Code, a separate land development instrument not included in this general code and not covered by this record; readers seeking permit criteria for removing trees on private property should consult that Comprehensive Development Code directly rather than this chapter.