Tree removal permit rules in Lake County, FL — sometimes called heritage tree, protected tree, or street tree ordinances — list which trees require a permit before you can cut them down.
Florida law preempts Lake County from requiring a permit to remove a tree on your own residential parcel if a certified arborist or licensed landscape architect documents it as an unacceptable risk. Removal tied to development still follows the LDR tree-protection rules.
The single most important rule: under Florida Statute 163.045 a homeowner needs no county permit, fee, or mitigation to remove a residential tree when they hold documentation from an ISA-certified arborist or a Florida-licensed landscape architect that the tree poses an unacceptable risk to persons or property. That documentation must be an onsite assessment under ANSI/ISA Best Management Practices - Tree Risk Assessment, 2nd Edition (2017). Outside that danger exemption, tree removal connected to a development or platting project falls under Lake County LDR Chapter IX (Section 9.02.00 Tree Protection). Heritage trees (40-inch or greater trunk) generally may not be removed on development sites except under an approval, with 100% caliper-inch replacement.
Removing protected/heritage trees on a development site without approval triggers LDR replacement or mitigation (100% caliper inches for heritage trees) and code-enforcement penalties. Homeowner danger-removal is exempt.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Lake County's tree removal & heritage trees rules stack up against other locations.
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