Dade City, FL Tree Protection: Heritage & Protected Trees (2026)
Key Facts
- Default rule
- No permit for champion/heritage removal
- Exception
- One of 4 findings required, § 2.4.14(E)
- Findings allowed
- Hazard, infestation, no alternative, damage
- Status
- Both are 'regulated trees' under Art. 9
- Appeal
- DRC, 30-day written notice, § 2.4.16
Summary
Dade City's Land Development Regulations single out champion and heritage trees for the strongest protection in the tree code: LDR § 2.4.14(D)(1) bars the Building Official from issuing a removal permit for either one unless the applicant proves one of four narrow conditions in § 2.4.14(E).
No permits shall be issued for the removal of champion or heritage trees, unless the conditions for approval are met under subsection 2.4.14(E) below. ... (E)Tree Removal Standards. The City may grant the tree removal permit if it finds one or more of the following conditions are met:(1)Immediate Safety Hazard. The tree is an immediate safety hazard, either to persons who reasonably may be physically harmed by the tree or to domestic animals, buildings, or other construction, or motor, bicycle, or pedestrian traffic; ... (3)No Other Reasonable or Economic Alternatives to Use. The tree, by its location, prevents reasonable use or development of the site, and that no other reasonable or economical alternatives to such use or development are possible; or(4)Progressive Damage to Building or Structures. The tree, by the normal growth of its branches or roots, is causing progressive damage to buildings, structures, or other more desirable trees and that no reasonable correction or prevention is available other than the tree's removal.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 18 | Land Development Regulations: Supplement 1).
Full Breakdown
14(D)(2), but champion and heritage trees get no such routine path. 1 still applies on top of this extra bar. 14(E) conditions: the tree is an immediate safety hazard to people, animals, buildings or traffic; it is infested with insects or fungi likely to spread; its location leaves no other reasonable or economical way to use or develop the site; or its ongoing growth is causing progressive damage to a building or structure with no reasonable fix short of removal. Absent one of those findings, the Building Official has no discretion to issue the permit no matter how routine the request otherwise looks.
16 within 30 days. Because the LDRs do not print a numeric trunk diameter or an age threshold that separately defines 'heritage' or 'champion' beyond flagging them as regulated trees, anyone planning work near an unusually large or old tree should confirm its status with the Building Official before filing.
Violations & Fines
Cutting down a champion or heritage tree without meeting one of the four § 2.4.14(E) conditions is an unpermitted removal under LDR § 6.2.1(E)(1), enforced by the Building Official. The city can require inch-for-inch replacement or a tree bank contribution, and noncompliance with replacement and survival-inspection conditions carries civil or criminal penalties under § 6.2.1(G)(1).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I ever remove a heritage or champion tree in Dade City?
How does the code define a heritage or champion tree?
What if my heritage tree removal permit is denied?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dade City
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Dade City to another location·View the Florida tree protection overview
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Heritage & Protected Trees in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Pasco County handle heritage & protected trees.