Winter Haven, FL Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Winter Haven Code of Ordinances § 15-310, part of the Urban Forestry article adopted by Ord. No. O-10-31 on July 12, 2010, places the pruning duty on the property owner, not the city. Every owner of a tree that overhangs a street or right-of-way must prune its branches so they do not obstruct the light from a street lamp and do not block the view at a street intersection, while maintaining a clear space of eight feet above the surface of the street or sidewalk.

The same section requires owners to remove all dead, diseased or dangerous trees, and any broken or decayed limbs, that constitute a menace to public safety, and extends the duty to any tree or shrub on private property when it interferes with a street light's spread of light or blocks visibility of a traffic-control device, sign or intersection. A separate section of the same article, § 15-309, bans "topping" a public tree, meaning cutting limbs back to stubs larger than three inches in diameter to the point the canopy is destroyed, though storm-damaged trees or trees tangled in utility wires can be exempted by the City Manager or a designee.

The city's urban forestry advisory board, a five-member panel created by § 15-302, can recommend pruning or removal of any public tree that is unsafe or injurious to sewers, power lines, gas lines or water lines.