The beaches: eight towns, five codes, two blanks.
Every barrier-island town wrote (or didn’t write) its own tree rules, and none of them match. I’ve sorted the strip north to south, plus the coastal-vegetation layer that applies everywhere sand meets Gulf.
| Town | Trigger | Fee | The detail that matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Rocks Beach | 4″ DBH | $0 for listed undesirables | City-issued permit on a county-code chassis; dead/diseased trees MUST go within 60 days of city notice |
| Belleair Beach | none found | — | Planting rules only (palms-only within 30 ft of seawall; keep waterfront trees trimmed below neighbors’ views) — confirm with city hall |
| Redington Beach | any tree taller than 12 ft | set by commission | The county’s only height-based test; §163.045 hazard documentation written directly into the code |
| North Redington Beach | none | — | The entire tree article: Australian pines may not exceed four feet. Confirm county-code gap with town hall |
| Redington Shores | 2″ DBH (native/protected) | via Building Official | Code re-enacted Nov 2025, modeled on Treasure Island; inch-for-inch replacement |
| Madeira Beach | 4″ DBH | free | Mangroves need city+county+state sign-off; county rules expressly don’t apply |
| Treasure Island | protected trees (code cites both 2″ and 6″) | per city | Inch-for-inch or fee-in-lieu; ALL mangroves protected; call before assuming the threshold |
| St. Pete Beach | 3″ DBH / palms 8 ft | $25 | Permit runs 3 months; $100 charge for starting early; penalty 2× permit or $100 |
The layer that never changes
Whatever the town says, two state regimes run the shoreline: dune vegetation seaward of the Coastal Construction Control Line is FDEP jurisdiction (F.S. 161.053, with sea grapes and sea oats named in 161.242 — the beach-view trim is the most regulated cut in the county), and mangroves follow the state act’s height tiers everywhere, with several towns stacking their own permits on top. When a tree stands between a building and the Gulf, assume three governments care before anyone cuts.
Barrier-island tree work is our regular beat — the access constraints, the salt-burned species, the paperwork stack. Text the town, address and a photo to (727) 761-8618 and the jurisdictional homework comes free with the quote.
Verified 2026-07-14 against the current municipal code and official city materials; ordinances change — confirm current rules with the city before cutting. This is plain-language guidance from a tree service, not legal advice. Weave's handles permit questions as part of every removal quote.
Questions Cody hears every week.
Which beach towns require tree permits?
With their triggers: Madeira Beach (4″ DBH, no-fee permit), Treasure Island (protected trees — the code cites both 2″ and 6″ definitions, so call before assuming), St. Pete Beach (3″ DBH or palms 8 ft, $25), Indian Rocks Beach (4″ DBH, city-issued), Redington Beach (any tree taller than 12 feet — a height test, unique in the county), Redington Shores (2″ DBH, re-enacted November 2025). Belleair Beach and North Redington Beach have no removal-permit code we could find — confirm with town hall, since the county’s new 2026 code claims countywide reach.
What applies on every beach regardless of town?
The state layer: dune vegetation seaward of the Coastal Construction Control Line is FDEP’s jurisdiction (sea grapes and sea oats named specifically), and mangroves fall under the state Mangrove Act everywhere — with several towns adding their own mangrove permits on top. The beach-view trim is the most regulated cut in the county.
Why do these tiny codes matter?
Because the penalties aren’t tiny: Treasure Island and Redington Shores run inch-for-inch replacement or fee-in-lieu, Indian Rocks can order dead-tree removal on 60 days’ notice, and North Redington Beach’s entire tree law is a ban on Australian pines over four feet — which tells you exactly which tree the barrier islands fear. Local knowledge is the whole game out here; it’s why we keep this page.
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.