Okaloosa County requires approval to remove protected trees, but Land Development Code 6.05.011 exempts single-family and two-family homes. Permit review targets development sites. The protected list covers trees from 4 inches (dogwood) up to 12 inches (live oak) trunk diameter.
Under Land Development Code Section 6.05.13, no one may cut or remove a protected tree listed in Section 6.05.033 without county approval, though diseased or weakened trees need none. Section 6.05.011 exempts single-family detached and two-family homes, so the permit requirement effectively falls on new development, redevelopment, and large commercial expansions. The protected list is tiered by size: small species such as dogwood and redbud at 4-inch trunk diameter, medium species like American holly and southern magnolia at 6 inches, and large species including live oak, laurel oak, and sweet gum at 12 inches. Street and right-of-way trees stay under county management.
On a regulated development site, removing a protected tree without county approval can bring code enforcement action and required replanting from the county's replant list. Homeowners on single-family lots are exempt.
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See how Okaloosa County's tree removal permits rules stack up against other locations.
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