Coral Gables, FL Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required from
- City manager + tree preservation agency
- Applies to
- Streets, rights-of-way, parks
- Covers
- Trimming, cutting, root disturbance
- Typical fine
- $500 civil penalty
- Original enactment
- Ordinance No. 6, 1925
Summary
Cutting, pruning, or trimming any tree, shrub, or vine in a Coral Gables street, city right-of-way, or park requires a written permit from the city manager and the tree preservation agency first.
No person shall, without a written permit from the city manager and the tree preservation agency, cut, prune, break, incline, injure, staple, pierce, affix any item to, remove or in any other way deface any living tree, shrub, orchid, or vine, in a public street, city right-of-way, or park, or cut, disturb or interfere in any way with the roots of any tree, shrub, orchid, or vine in a public street, city right-of-way, or park. (Code 1958, § 34-1; Code 1991, § 27-1; Code 2006, § 82-1; Ord. No. 6, § 1, 8-3-1925; Ord. No. 2014-12, § 2, 5-27-2014; Ord. No. 2023-29, § 2(Exh. A), 9-26-2023)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Fee Schedule: Supplement 2 | Zoning Code: Supplement 1 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 25 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Coral Gables treats the trees lining its streets and swales as protected city property, not homeowner discretion. Before anyone trims, prunes, cuts, breaks, staples, pierces, or otherwise disfigures a living tree, shrub, orchid, or vine standing in a public street, city right-of-way, or park, they need a written permit jointly from the city manager and the tree preservation agency. The same permit requirement covers disturbing or interfering with the roots of those plants, so root pruning for a driveway or utility line counts too. The rule dates to a 1925 ordinance and was last amended in 2023.
Violations & Fines
Trimming, cutting, or damaging a right-of-way tree without the joint city manager/tree preservation agency permit is a code violation punished under Sec. 1-7, with civil penalties (the city's schedule lists $500 for unpermitted trimming or defacement).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I trim a swale tree in front of my Coral Gables house myself?
Does the permit rule cover tree roots, not just branches?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Coral Gables
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Coral Gables to another location·View the Florida landscaping rules overview
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