Palm Beach County Tree Removal Permit Requirements

In Palm Beach County, you generally need a permit before removing a native tree from your property, but which permit and whether you need one at all depends on your property type and the tree itself. A Palm Beach County tree removal permit is handled by one of two county departments: Environmental Resources Management (ERM) reviews native vegetation on undeveloped or newly developing land, while Planning, Zoning and Building (PZB) issues Tree Removal and Replacement Permits on already-developed residential lots.¹ Single-family homeowners also get one significant break under Florida state law when a tree is genuinely dangerous.

Which Trees Are Actually Regulated

The county’s rules target native species that grew on your property naturally, not ornamental trees you planted as landscaping. Under Article 14.C of the Unified Land Development Code, any native canopy tree with a trunk diameter at breast height (DBH) of six inches or more must be documented before clearing. Dahoon Holly is regulated starting at four inches DBH, and native palms come under the rules once their trunk reaches eight feet.²

DBH is measured 4.5 feet above the ground. If your tree is below the threshold for its species, it is not regulated under Article 14.C.

Some species receive extra protection as “specimen trees” once they reach species-specific sizes. A Seagrape hits specimen status at 10 inches DBH, a Live Oak at 23 inches, and a Florida Strangler Fig at 25 inches. Appendix 7 of the ULDC lists 18 species with their thresholds.² Specimen trees face stricter review and higher replacement obligations, so identify your tree’s species and measure it before you make any decisions.

When You Need a Permit and When You Don’t

Which permit applies to you depends on where your property sits in the development timeline.

On undeveloped or newly developing land, ERM reviews native vegetation under Article 14.C. Before any clearing or building permits can be issued, you submit a Protection of Native Vegetation application and obtain a Vegetation Barricade Permit through the Building Division to physically protect trees marked for preservation.³

On already-developed residential lots, tree removal runs through a Tree Removal and Replacement Permit (TRP) issued by PZB’s Zoning Division. The Landscape Section reviews the application.⁴

Single-family homeowners have an important exemption. No separate tree removal permit is required as long as your property continues to meet the minimum vegetation standards in Table 7.C.3.A of the ULDC.³ That exemption disappears if the removal would drop your property below those minimums, or if the tree is a regulated native or specimen under Article 14.C.

The Dangerous Tree Exemption Under Florida Law

Florida Statute 163.045 overrides local tree permitting in one specific situation: when a tree on a single-family residential property poses an unacceptable risk to people or structures. In that case, the county cannot require a permit application, a fee, an approval, or a mitigation planting.⁵

The exemption depends on documentation. You need an on-site assessment from an arborist certified by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) or a Florida-licensed landscape architect. That professional must follow ISA tree risk assessment procedures and issue a written finding that removal is the only way to reduce the risk below moderate. Your own opinion that a tree looks dangerous does not qualify.⁵

Three limits matter:

The property must be a single-family, detached building on a lot actively used for single-family residential purposes. Duplexes, townhomes, condos, and commercial properties are not covered.⁵
The county cannot force you to replant a tree removed under this provision.
Mangroves are excluded. The exemption does not apply to them.

Other Situations That Don’t Require a Permit

Article 14.C lists several removals that skip the full approval process:²

Dead or dying vegetation on improved parcels, though Article 7 landscaping standards still apply.
Prohibited invasive non-natives such as Brazilian Pepper and Australian Pine. Article 14.D actually requires their removal, and improved parcels in unincorporated Palm Beach County approved or built after April 28, 1986 must be kept permanently free of prohibited invasives.
Clearing a path up to five feet wide for a fence, provided no tree three inches or greater DBH is removed and the clearing is done by hand.
Storm-damaged trees that threaten safety.
Selective removal under an approved State Division of Forestry management plan.

These exemptions cover the Article 14.C native vegetation approval. If your property has a development order with conditions of approval regarding vegetation, those conditions still control regardless of the general exemptions.

What Goes Into the Application

Whether you file with ERM or with Zoning, the paperwork is similar. Plan to provide:

Species and DBH of every regulated tree, measured at 4.5 feet above grade.
A specific reason for removal. Disease, structural conflict with approved construction, or root damage to foundations are the kinds of justifications that pass review; personal preference does not.
A scaled site plan or tree survey showing property boundaries, existing structures, and the exact location of each tree proposed for removal.
An arborist report where specimen trees or questionable tree health are involved. The report should address whether pruning or relocation would work and explain why removal is recommended.
Photographs of the tree and its surroundings.

Forms are available on the ERM website for native vegetation approvals and through PZB for Tree Removal and Replacement Permits.¹ Incomplete submissions are the most common cause of delay, so it pays to get the paperwork right the first time.

How to Submit and What Happens Next

Applications go through the county’s ePZB online portal, which accepts uploads of site plans, arborist reports, and supporting documents at any hour.⁶ Paper filings are accepted at the PZB office in West Palm Beach.

Once your application is logged and fees are paid, staff run a sufficiency review. For Tree Removal and Replacement Permits, Landscape Section staff complete this review within 10 working days of a site inspection.⁴ During the field visit, the inspector verifies size, species, and condition against what you submitted, and may ask you to adjust the plan to preserve specific trees or to keep the property within canopy coverage requirements.

Keep the permit on-site during removal. Any conditions attached to the approval, including mitigation plantings, timing restrictions, or protection of adjacent trees, are binding.

Replacement and Mitigation

Removing a regulated tree usually creates an obligation to plant replacement vegetation. The county uses the Vegetation Credit and Replacement Chart in Table 7.E.3.C of the ULDC to calculate what you owe. Street trees are replaced one-for-one, and other replacement ratios depend on the species removed and its size.⁴

Replacements should be native species suited to South Florida. ERM recommends Live Oak, Slash Pine, Bald Cypress, Sabal Palm, and Dahoon Holly for canopy restoration.⁷ Understory species like Cocoplum, Wild Coffee, and Beautyberry may also count toward mitigation depending on approval conditions. ERM publishes a mitigation replacement rate table for projects under Article 14.C.¹

If there is no room to replant on-site, the county may allow off-site mitigation or a fee-in-lieu payment. Ask ERM or the Zoning Landscape Section before assuming you can pay instead of plant.

Mangroves Are a Different System

If the tree in question is a mangrove, the county’s tree removal rules do not apply. Mangroves are regulated under Florida’s Mangrove Trimming and Preservation Act (F.S. 403.9321–403.9333), and the state’s dangerous-tree exemption under F.S. 163.045 explicitly does not reach mangroves.⁵ Trimming or altering mangroves without meeting statutory criteria requires a permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection or a delegated local government, and using herbicides or chemicals to defoliate mangroves is prohibited.⁸ Talk to ERM or an environmental consultant before touching a mangrove.

What Happens If You Skip the Permit

Unpermitted removal of a regulated tree brings a Notice of Violation from the county, enforced through Code Enforcement. Penalties are not only monetary. The county can order remedial plantings at ratios higher than what a standard permit would have required, so the after-the-fact cost typically exceeds what the permit process would have imposed. Enforcement officers monitor development sites and respond to residential complaints, and getting the permit first is almost always cheaper and faster than defending an enforcement action later.

1
Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management. Native Vegetation Removal
2
Palm Beach County. Unified Land Development Code Article 14 – Environmental Standards
3
Palm Beach County. Unified Land Development Code Article 7 – Landscaping
4
Palm Beach County. Tree Removal and Replacement Permit Instructions
5
The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 163.045 – Tree Pruning, Trimming, or Removal on Residential Property
6
Palm Beach County. PZB – Building Division Permit Center
7
Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management. Native Canopy
8
The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 403.9328 – Alteration and Trimming of Mangroves; Permit Requirement