Routine trimming and pruning of your own trees is generally allowed, but removal (and some heavy trimming) of protected trees in unincorporated Seminole County requires an Arbor Permit under Land Development Code Chapter 60. Florida law also lets homeowners skip permits for hazardous trees with arborist documentation.
Seminole County regulates trees in the unincorporated area through Chapter 60 (Arbor Regulations) of the Land Development Code. Ordinary maintenance pruning of landscape trees does not need a permit, but removing a protected tree, or altering it enough to kill it, triggers the Arbor Permit process administered by Development Services. Under Florida Statutes 163.045, a local government 'may not require a notice, application, approval, permit, fee, or mitigation for the pruning, trimming, or removal of a tree on a residential property' when the owner has documentation from an ISA-certified arborist or licensed landscape architect that the tree is dangerous. Utility-line clearance follows separate rules.
Removing or fatally topping a protected tree without a required Arbor Permit can bring code-enforcement citations, mitigation (replacement) requirements, and per-tree fines.
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Seminole County, FL
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Seminole County, FL
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Seminole County, FL
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See how Seminole County's tree trimming rules stack up against other locations.
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