Tree permits in Central Florida work in layers. State law sets one rule for risky trees at single-family homes. Each city and county then has its own tree ordinance for everything else. On top of that, a homeowners association can have rules of its own. Here is how to work out which layers apply to the tree in your yard before anyone starts cutting.
Tree Service Orlando FL does not remove trees or pull permits. It is a free phone line that connects you with an independent, locally owned tree service company. Rules change, so treat this page as a guide and confirm with the city or county office linked below before work starts.
The Florida law: Statute 163.045
In 2019 the Legislature passed a law that stopped cities and counties from requiring permits to remove a dangerous tree at a home. The first version said a tree qualified if it presented "a danger to persons or property," as documented by a certified arborist or licensed landscape architect. Winter Park, for example, paused and then resumed its own permit enforcement that year as it worked out how the new law fit.
In 2022, Senate Bill 518 tightened the standard. It took effect July 1, 2022, and the current statute now says:
- No local paperwork or fees. A local government may not require a notice, application, approval, permit, fee or mitigation to prune, trim or remove a tree on a residential property when the owner has the right documentation.
- Who can document it. An arborist certified by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), or a Florida licensed landscape architect.
- How. An on-site assessment following the procedures in Best Management Practices: Tree Risk Assessment, Second Edition (2017), signed by that professional.
- The test. The tree must pose an "unacceptable risk," meaning removal is the only practical way to bring its risk below moderate.
- No replanting. A local government may not require you to replant a tree removed under the statute.
What the state law does not cover
The statute defines "residential property" as a single-family, detached building on a lot actively used as a single-family home. That leaves out a lot of trees:
- Healthy trees you simply want gone, which need no risk finding but fall under local rules
- Commercial property, apartments and condos
- Vacant lots and land being cleared for building
- Mangroves, which keep their own separate state protection
- Your HOA's rules, which the statute does not mention
Keep the signed assessment. It is your proof if a code officer asks why a tree came down without a permit.
Rules by city and county
A summary of what each government's own page says, checked October 2, 2026. Where a page did not answer a question, the table says to ask. Follow the links in the sections below for the official pages.
| Jurisdiction | Single-family home, ordinary tree | Fee | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Orlando | Permit through the city; replacement trees may be required | $25 residential | 407-246-2283, trees@orlando.gov |
| Unincorporated Orange County | Permit needed on lots over 2 acres with a home, and on vacant land | $121 for single-family over 2 acres | 407-836-5807, Arborist@ocfl.net |
| Unincorporated Seminole County | Developed single-family lots of 3 acres or less are exempt, except wetland areas | Ask the county | Seminole County arbor permit page |
| Unincorporated Osceola County | Code requires a development or tree removal permit before removing vegetation, with listed exemptions | Ask the county | Osceola County planning office |
| Unincorporated Lake County | Exempt on a single-family lot of 2 acres or less with a home, up to a size limit | Ask the county | Lake County exemption form |
| City of Winter Park | Permit for protected species on private property | $35 residential | Winter Park urban forestry page |
| City of Kissimmee | Requests to remove a tree go through the Site Development and Tree Removal permit | Ask the city | 407-518-2379, permitting@kissimmee.gov |
Everywhere in this table, a single-family homeowner with a signed risk assessment under Statute 163.045 can remove that tree without the local permit or fee.
City of Orlando tree removal permit
Inside Orlando city limits, the city's Families, Parks and Recreation department handles tree permits. Its page says a residential owner does not need a permit if they get a report from an arborist holding the ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ) confirming the tree is dangerous, which is how the city applies the state law. For other trees, the steps are:
- Confirm the property is inside city limits. An Orlando mailing address does not always mean the property is in the city.
- Apply online with photos and any relevant plans, and mark the tree you want removed.
- A city arborist inspects the tree within three business days and contacts you with the result.
- If approved, you receive the permit and arrange the removal yourself, through the tree company you hire.
- If the permit calls for replacement trees, plant them within 60 days and notify the city.
The fee is $25 for residential property and $50 per acre for commercial property, where a permit is always required. Contact the city at 407-246-2283 or trees@orlando.gov. Trees in the public right-of-way along streets and sidewalks are the city's to inspect, trim or remove when they are hazardous, so report those to the city rather than removing them.
Historic districts
The City of Orlando has six historic districts, including Lake Copeland, Lake Lawsona and Colonialtown South, and almost 50 individually designated landmarks. Exterior changes there need a Certificate of Appropriateness. The city's historic preservation FAQ does not say how trees are treated, so if your home is in a district or is a landmark, ask the city's historic preservation staff before removing a tree.
County rules outside city limits
Orange County
Unincorporated Orange County regulates trees under Chapter 15, Article VIII of its code. A "regulated tree" is 8 inches or more in diameter at breast height, and the code lists protected species including live oak, southern magnolia, longleaf pine and bald cypress. On single-family and duplex property, the county's permit page says a permit is required when the lot is over two acres with an occupied home, or when the land is vacant. When a new home has an approved building permit, trees on the building pad come out under that permit. The fee for a single-family or duplex lot over two acres is $121. Applications go through the county's Fast Track portal, and the Zoning Division answers arbor questions at 407-836-5807 or Arborist@ocfl.net.
Seminole County
Unincorporated Seminole County issues arbor permits. Its arbor permit page lists an exemption for developed single-family lots of three acres or less with a house, and says that exemption does not include wetland areas. Typical reasons a permit is granted include a tree in the buildable area, a diseased or injured tree in danger of falling on people, and a tree interfering with utilities or sight lines. The page does not list fees, so contact the county through its arbor permit page.
Osceola County
Osceola County's Land Development Code, Chapter 4, Article 4.8, requires a development permit or tree removal permit before vegetation is removed, with listed exemptions such as naturally fallen vegetation. A 2025 county code enforcement notice shows the board can fine up to $250 a day for a first violation. The county's public pages did not spell out how the exemptions apply to a typical home lot, so call Osceola County Planning and Zoning before removing a tree in unincorporated Osceola.
Lake County
Lake County's tree removal exemption form, revised December 2019, exempts trees on a single-family lot of two acres or less that has a home on it, up to a combined trunk size of thirty caliper inches removed within three years. It also exempts dead or diseased trees, trees toppled by storms, and trees that present a danger to persons or property when the owner follows Statute 163.045. Because the form is several years old, confirm the current rule with Lake County's planning and zoning office.
City rules worth knowing
Each city in the Orlando area writes its own tree ordinance. Two examples show how different they can be.
Winter Park
Since September 9, 2019, Winter Park has required permits to remove protected tree species on private property. The residential fee is $35. Replacement trees must be Florida No. 1 grade and at least 3 inches in caliper. If they are not planted within 30 days, the city bills for the inches owed plus a $150 administrative fee, and each extra caliper inch planted reduces the tree trust fund deposit by $110. Applications go through the city's permitting self-service portal, and staff inspect the tree.
Kissimmee
Kissimmee lists tree removal under its Site Development and Tree Removal permit, which covers a "request to remove a tree" as well as land clearing. Contact the Permitting Division at 407-518-2379 or permitting@kissimmee.gov.
For Winter Garden, Apopka, Ocoee, Clermont, St. Cloud, Sanford, Lake Mary, Longwood, Altamonte Springs, Oviedo, DeLand and other cities, call the city's planning or permitting office, or look up its land development code, before work starts.
Your HOA is a separate layer
Many Orlando-area neighborhoods have a homeowners association with an architectural review committee, and its covenants may say which trees you can remove and whether you must replace them. Statute 163.045 speaks to what a local government may require. A Florida law firm, writing when the 2022 amendment took effect, said the law appears to apply to local government requirements and not to association requirements, and that the point was untested. Get your HOA's approval in writing before the tree comes down, and talk to an attorney if the association and the statute seem to conflict.
A simple order of operations
- Find out whether your address is inside a city or in unincorporated county land. If you are unsure, ask the city's permitting office.
- Ask whether the tree poses a real risk. If it may, an arborist assessment tells you whether Statute 163.045 applies.
- If it does not, check your city or county rule using the table above.
- Check your HOA covenants and get approval in writing.
- Agree with the tree company, in writing, who handles the permit and any replacement tree.
Not sure whether your tree needs a permit? Call the free line. The local tree company you are put through to can look at the tree and talk you through what the rules mean for your address.
More about tree removal
How this line works: Tree Service Orlando FL is a free phone line, not a tree service company. It does not trim, remove, quote or schedule tree work and holds no license or arborist certification. Calls are transferred to independent, locally owned tree service companies in the Orlando area. Those companies may pay Tree Service Orlando FL a referral fee. You never pay the line. How it works.
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