Okaloosa County, FL Tree Protection: Protected Tree Species (2026)

LDC § 6.05.03 sets the core preservation math for any site with protected trees proposed for lot clearing in a residential, commercial or industrial zoning district: the number of trees the county requires an applicant to keep is calculated at a ratio of one preserved tree for every 4,300 square feet of impervious surface area, rounding any fraction up. The code directs applicants to lay out required perimeter and interior landscaped areas so they incorporate existing tree preservation wherever feasible, rather than clearing first and landscaping around whatever is left.

An existing protected tree with its crown extending over a planned parking area, or sitting within a required perimeter or interior landscaped area, earns credit against that 4,300-square-foot ratio under LDC § 6.05.031. The credit schedule runs by crown spread or trunk diameter: a tree with a 90-foot or larger crown spread, or a 36-inch or larger trunk, is credited as seven preserved trees, scaling down to one credited tree for a 16 to 19-foot crown spread or a 4 to 7-inch trunk. Crown spread is rounded to the nearest foot and trunk diameter to the nearest inch, both subject to county approval, with diameter measured four feet above natural grade.

The same section lets the county reduce required parking to save a protected tree with a trunk of 12 inches or more: no reduction for lots requiring 1 to 4 spaces, one space for 5 to 9 required spaces, two spaces for 10 to 19, and 10 percent of the total for 20 or more required spaces. The code's own glossary defines a protected tree simply as one that 'by virtue of type or size cannot be destroyed without a permit being issued,' the definition that decides whether the § 6.05.03 preservation ratio applies to a given tree at all.