Ocala, FL Tree Protection: Parkway Planting (2026)

Sec. 118-103 of the Ocala Code sets aside four named roadway segments as canopy roads: S.E. Fifth Street from S.E. 11th Avenue to S.E. 15th Avenue; S.E. 11th Avenue from Ft. King Street to S.E. 14th Street; S.E. Seventh Street from S.E. 15th Terrace to S.E. 23rd Terrace; and N.E. Third Street from N.E. 12th Avenue to N.E. 15th Avenue. The section creates a 'canopy tree protection zone' covering all property within ten feet of the outside right-of-way line of those roadways, plus any trees in the median of a divided street along the route.

Within that zone, Sec. 118-103(d) bars any person or agency from cutting, removing, trimming or otherwise damaging a tree without a tree removal permit from the building department, extending the general chapter 118 permit requirement to roadside trees the city has flagged for their canopy value. The city itself takes on a matching maintenance duty: Sec. 118-103(e) requires the city to schedule annual inspections of the designated canopy roads and to handle trimming and de-mossing of the canopy trees, and Sec. 118-103(f) requires any road improvement along a canopy road to be designed so it does not damage the overall canopy.

If a tree in the zone is removed without the required permit, Sec. 118-103(g) sets replacement at twice the removed tree's original diameter at breast height, with replacement trees at least three inches DBH, a heavier ratio than the article's general one-to-one replacement standard for ordinary tree removal violations.