Nassau County, FL Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)
Tree removal permit rules in Nassau 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
- Protected tree
- 5+ inches diameter at breast height, non-invasive
- Permit issuer
- Planning and Economic Opportunity Department
- Standard replacement
- 25% of caliper inches on single-family lots
- Unauthorized removal
- Inch-for-inch replacement plus magistrate fines
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Amelia Island only
- Enforcement
- Special magistrate since board dissolved 4/1/2024
Summary
On unincorporated Amelia Island outside Fernandina Beach, cutting down a protected tree, any healthy tree five inches or more in trunk diameter, requires a permit from the Nassau County Planning and Economic Opportunity Department before work starts. Removing trees without one triggers inch-for-inch replacement plus code enforcement penalties under the Land Development Code's tree protection article.
Tree removal permits, processed through the planning department, are required for the removal of any protected tree, except as outlined in section 32.02.F.1.a below. The Board of County Commissioners may adopt tree removal permit fees by separate resolution. The removal of a tree by any person or entity who fails to meet the standards/procedures in this section will be subject to the penalty and enforcement provisions defined in this article. ... At a minimum, the owner and/or developer shall replace, inch-for-inch one (1) caliper inch for every inch of DBH removed, any and all trees that are removed without authorization.
Full Breakdown
05. A protected tree is any existing, healthy tree of five inches or more in diameter at breast height that is not on the state's invasive plant list. Before that tree can come down, the property owner or contractor must obtain a tree removal permit processed through the planning department, and the Board of County Commissioners sets the permit fee by resolution. Class I projects, such as adding a pool to an existing single-family lot, still need a tree protection and replacement plan even without site plan review; that plan goes to the planning department for approval, approval with conditions, or denial.
For an individual one- or two-family lot, removal inside the construction zone is capped at replacing twenty-five percent of the total caliper inches taken, while trees outside that zone cannot be removed at all except under the specimen-tree rules. A handful of activities are exempt from both the permit and replacement requirement, including pruning a hazardous tree on documented arborist advice, removing storm-damaged trees within a month of a declared weather emergency, and clearing fallen trees. Cut a protected tree without going through this process and the county requires inch-for-inch replacement of every diameter inch removed, on top of whatever fine the special magistrate imposes.
Violations & Fines
Removing or damaging a protected tree without a permit puts the owner and any contractor jointly on the hook for a restoration plan built by an ISA-certified arborist, submitted within thirty days of a violation finding, plus inch-for-inch replacement of every caliper inch cut. Since April 1, 2024 the former code enforcement board's cases go to a special magistrate appointed by the Board of County Commissioners, who can order fines, require a performance bond, and withhold further permits or a certificate of occupancy until the violation is corrected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to remove a tree on my Amelia Island property?
What happens if I cut down a protected tree without a permit?
Does this rule apply outside Amelia Island?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Nassau County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Nassau County to another location·View the Florida landscaping rules overview
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