Tree permits in Pinellas: 25 jurisdictions, one map.
The county rewrote its tree code in January 2026, every city runs its own thresholds, and your mailing address won’t tell you whose rules you’re under. I keep this map current so you don’t have to guess — start here.
Find out whose rules you’re under — your mailing address won’t tell you. Pinellas packs 24 municipalities plus unincorporated county into 280 square miles, and “Clearwater,” “Largo” and especially “Seminole” mailing addresses routinely sit outside their namesake cities. The official checkers: the county’s address lookup at pinellas.gov/my-neighborhood, or your parcel’s “Property City” field at the Property Appraiser — UNINCORPORATED means county rules.
The county at a glance (single-family, healthy tree)
| Jurisdiction | Permit trigger | Permit fee | Distinctive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unincorporated county | 4″ DBH / palms 6 ft — homesteaded SF: only >24″ | set by BCC (invasives free) | Code rewritten eff. 2026-01-23; $150/inch penalty |
| St. Petersburg | 4″ shade / 8″ understory / native palms 4 ft CT | $25 inspection | Grand (30″+) & Signature trees; permit to trim Grand limbs |
| Clearwater | 4″ shade / 2″ accent / palms 10 ft CT | $15 (1–5 trees) | Specimen trees un-permittable; 30% pruning cap |
| Largo | 4″ caliper / palms 4½ ft CT — dead trees too | $20 + $25/inch | Broadest rule; 2:1/3:1 replacement on big trees |
| Seminole (city) | see the jurisdiction decoder | $25 | Posted no-residential-permits stance, 7 DA/DO exceptions |
| Pinellas Park | 4½” DBH (cabbage palms count) | $20 (SF lot) | Understory regulated; documented-hazard exemption |
| Dunedin | 4″ DBH — dead trees too; Grand pruning | $25 | Grand Tree program; crew licensing rules |
| Gulfport | 6″ DBH; any mangrove trim | free | All palms exempt; police co-enforce |
| The beach towns | 2″–12 ft, varies by town | $0–$25 | Five codes, two blanks, CCCL layer everywhere |
The two rules that cut across everything
Florida’s hazard-tree law (§163.045): on a single-family detached home, a signed ISA-arborist or licensed-landscape-architect assessment finding unacceptable risk beats every local permit requirement — details on our law page. Invasives ride free almost everywhere: Brazilian pepper, Australian pine, punk and their listed friends are permit-exempt or no-fee-permit in every jurisdiction above — the paperwork exists to confirm the species, which our photo documentation handles.
Not sure where your tree stands? That’s a normal state of affairs in this county. Text the address and a photo to (727) 761-8618 — sorting this out is part of every quote, not an upsell.
Tell Cody about your tree.
Three fields. He answers his own phone — you’ll hear back fast.
Faster: text a photo of the tree to (727) 761-8618.