Gulfport, FL Tree Protection: Heritage & Protected Trees (2026)
Key Facts
- DBH threshold for permit
- 6 inches or more
- Specimen/historic tree removal
- excluded from § 22-20.07(b) criteria
- Designation method
- by city, county or state resolution
- Improper removal fine
- $100 per tree, tree bank account
- Replacement standard
- inch-for-inch DBH
Summary
Gulfport designates certain trees as 'specimen' or 'historic' by resolution, and a tree carrying that designation can never qualify for a removal permit under the criteria the city otherwise uses to approve cutting down a protected tree.
Historic tree. A tree which has been found by the city, Pinellas County or the State of Florida to be of historic significance, because of its age, type, size or historic association, and which has been so designated by resolution. ... Specimen tree. A tree which has been designated by the city, Pinellas County or the State of Florida to be of such a type, species or kind as to be retained in its natural state.
Full Breakdown
03 of the tree article defines a specimen tree as one designated by the city, Pinellas County or the State of Florida to be of a type, species or kind that must be retained in its natural state, and a historic tree as one found by the city, the county or the state to be of historic significance because of its age, type, size or historic association, and so designated by resolution. 07, which sets the criteria the community development department applies to any tree removal permit application: even where a tree is crowding another tree, endangering a structure or causing unsafe vision clearance at an intersection, subsection (b)(4) bars approval outright if the tree is a specimen tree or is designated as a historic tree.
05, but a specimen or historic designation removes the ordinary escape hatches for removal. 01, and the public works and leisure works departments manage the city's tree program and care for trees on public property.
Violations & Fines
Removing, altering or destroying a designated specimen or historic tree without meeting the narrow Section 22-20.07 criteria is unlawful under Section 22-20.05 and triggers Section 22-20.13's enforcement scheme: the tree must be replaced inch-for-inch on a DBH basis, a $100 fine per improperly removed tree is deposited into the tree bank account, and the city can withhold any certificate of occupancy, permit or inspection on the property until the article is satisfied. Any resulting code violation also carries the general penalty of Section 1-6: up to a $500 fine, up to 60 days imprisonment, or both, with each day a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get a permit to remove a tree the city has designated historic?
Who decides whether a Gulfport tree is 'historic'?
What happens if a specimen tree is removed without authorization?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Gulfport
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Gulfport to another location·View the Florida tree protection overview
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