Do you need a permit?
Yes — a permit is required
Tampa requires a permit to remove any non-exempt tree 5 inches DBH or larger, including in your own yard — there is no single-family exemption. The one way around it is the Florida state exemption: if an ISA-certified arborist or Florida-licensed landscape architect documents that the tree poses an unacceptable risk, the city cannot require a permit. Tampa has published a City Attorney memo spelling out exactly what that documentation must contain.
Size threshold
All removals of trees 5" DBH or above (excluding invasive species) require a permit. Pruning is separate: no permit at 23" DBH or under; at 24" DBH or greater a permit is required first.
What's protected in Tampa
- Protected tree — any mitigation tree, any mangrove, any cypress, and any non-exempt species 5" DBH or greater
- Grand tree — 32" DBH or more with a condition rating of A, B or C; any Florida Challenger or Champion tree automatically qualifies
- Specimen tree — 24" DBH or more
- Right-of-way trees — pruning requires Parks Department Forestry Division permission
How to apply in Tampa
- 1
Apply through the Accela portal at aca-prod.accela.com/TAMPA. Click "+New" and select "Building Permit."
- 2
Select Natural Resources, then Tree Removal Pruning Permit.
- 3
Enter the site address and search — the system fills in the rest.
- 4
Enter the removal or pruning details, check the two attestation boxes, then add a row per tree with Tree Type and Requested Action Type.
- 5
Upload any survey or affidavits under Attachments, then pay by card or bank account.
- 6
A Natural Resources forester reviews before release. Alternatively hire a City of Tampa Self-Certified Private Arborist to inspect and submit a report.
Fees, penalties, and the ordinance
- Fee
- Protected Tree Removal/Evaluation $120.00 per property. Grand Tree Removal/Evaluation (hazard) $155.00. Grand Tree Removal/Evaluation (non-hazard) $620.00. Grand Tree Pruning Evaluation $120.00. Plus the Florida Building Permit Surcharge (2.5% of permit value, $4.00 minimum).
- Ordinance
- City of Tampa Code Chapter 27, Article VI, Division 4 (Sec. 27-284), definitions at Sec. 27-43
Worth knowing
- Tampa addresses Fla. Stat. 163.045 head-on in a 20 July 2022 City Attorney memorandum. Three things must all be true: signed documentation from an ISA-certified arborist or Florida-licensed landscape architect based on an onsite assessment following Best Management Practices - Tree Risk Assessment, Second Edition (2017); a finding that the tree poses an unacceptable risk; and a single-family detached residential property that is a conforming or legally recognised nonconforming use.
- The memo is explicit the city will not substitute its judgement: "The City will not apply its definition of 'dangerous tree' or 'hazardous tree' in determining whether a tree qualifies for removal under the Statutory Exemption."
- It is equally explicit you should hand the documentation over anyway — the city says that is "the only manner by which the City can determine whether a tree was removed illegally," and failing to may draw a notice of violation.
- The statutory exemption does not reach duplexes, townhomes, multi-family, commercial property, or a residential lot with no residential structure.
- Exempt species need no permit, including Australian pine, Brazilian pepper, Cherry laurel, Chinaberry, Chinese tallow, Citrus, Earleaf acacia, Eucalyptus, Lead tree, Mimosa, Queen palm, Silk oak and Wild cherry.
- If removal is part of a future construction project, do not file a separate tree permit — mark the tree as a removal on the site plan.
- Tampa's tree rules moved from Chapter 13 to Chapter 27 by Ord. 2019-54. Any source citing Chapter 13 is pre-2019.
What we could not confirm
We would rather tell you what we don't know than guess. Call the office below to confirm these before you cut.
- — Dollar fine amounts for unpermitted removal — the city describes the violation but does not publish a schedule.
- — The correct phone extension. Every tampa.gov page says Option 1; the city's own Accela how-to PDF says option 4. Both are city-published.
- — Mitigation amounts — determined by Natural Resources during review.