Municipal Jurisdictions

The municipalities below have their own tree ordinances that address tree removal requirements for most residential or commercial properties.

Call the appropriate municipality for more information regarding their tree removal/relocation permit procedures. In addition, do not improperly prune, damage, remove or relocate any tree in a city-owned right-of-way, including street swales, without prior approval from the municipality and local tree program.

A separate county authorization is not generally required in these municipalities except as described above.

Municipalities with their own tree ordinances recognized by Miami-Dade County include:

• Coral Gables: 305-460-5000 or 305-460-5135
• Homestead: 305-224-4500
• Miami: 305-416-1400 or 305-416-1551
• Miami Beach: 305-673-7080
• Miami Lakes: 305-364-6100, ext. 1142
• Miami Springs: 305-805-5170
• North Miami: 305-895-9830
• North Miami Beach: 305-948-2965
• Pinecrest: 305-234-2121
• South Miami: 305-663-6331

Exemptions

Read about tree permit exemptions from the Miami-Dade County Code Section 24-49 (4).

Tree Relocations

A Tree Relocation Plan Form is required for all tree relocations.

Definition of "tree"

A tree shall mean a woody or fibrous perennial plant with a trunk having a minimum DBH of three inches or with an overall height of 12 or more feet.

A non-specimen tree is any tree with a trunk diameter at breast height (DBH) less than 18 inches (56.5 inches in circumference) when measured at point 4 ½ feet from the ground at natural grade.

The following trees are considered non-specimen, no matter how large they become:

• Non-native fruit trees that are cultivated or grown for the specific purpose of producing edible fruit, including, but not limited to, mangos, avocados or species of citrus.
• Non-native species of the genus Ficus.
• All multi-trunk palms except Paurotis palm/Everglades palm (Acoelorrhaphe wrightii) and Reclinata palm (Phoenix reclinata) which have a minimum overall height of 15 feet.

A specimen tree shall mean a tree with any individual trunk that has a DBH of 18 inches or greater (or a circumference of 56.5 inches or greater) when measured at point 4 1/2 feet from the ground at natural grade. The following trees are not considered specimen:

• Non-native fruit trees that are cultivated or grown for the specific purpose of producing edible fruit, including, but not limited to, mangos, avocados or species of citrus.
• Non-native species of the genus Ficus.
• All multi-trunk palms except Paurotis palm/Everglades palm (Acoelorrhaphe wrightii) and Reclinata palm (Phoenix reclinata), which have a minimum overall height of 15 feet.

Diameter at Breast Height (DBH)

Diameter breast height (DBH) shall mean the diameter of a tree's trunk measured at a point 4 ½ feet from where the tree emerges from the ground at natural grade.

In the case of multiple-trunked trees, the DBH shall mean the sum of each trunk's diameter measured at the point 4 ½ feet from where the tree emerges from the ground at natural grade.

• Read the Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) Measurement Guide

Prohibited Plants

Exotic, or non-native, plants are those species found outside of their natural ranges. Once they are taken out of their natural habitat, either for landscape or agricultural purposes, some exotic species are able to escape cultivation and invade natural areas in their adopted land.

• Read more about Prohibited Plant Species

How to Apply

• Submit a completed Tree Removal/Relocation Permit Application Form, along with the application and the initial inspection fee, in person, by mail or by fax. Both the application and the initial inspection fee must be received in order to process the application.
• The mailing address and fax information is:

Miami-Dade County Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources 
Tree Permitting Program
701 NW 1ST COURT, 6TH Floor
Miami FL 33136
Fax: 305-372-6479

• The property owner or authorized representative will be informed if the permit has been approved or denied, usually by certified mail, email or otherwise requested.
• The processing time for a tree removal/relocation permit (i.e. from application acceptance to the permit being drafted and ready for issuance) is approximately 30 days.

For properties that are not in violation of the tree ordinance:
When a tree removal/relocation permit application is submitted and additional information is required in order to continue processing the permit, an official correspondence will be sent to the owner or authorized representative identifying the deficiencies.

If the Tree Permitting Program has not been contacted regarding the requested information, or if the requested information has not been received within 120 days from the date of the official correspondence, the application will be denied.

According to Section 24-49.7(3) of the Miami-Dade County Code, all tree permit applications that remain incomplete for a period of 120 days shall be denied. A new tree removal permit application shall be required for all work previously proposed under a permit application that has been denied.

In certain cases, such as when applying to remove or relocate 10 or more trees, a site plan/tree survey is required.

Closing the permit

The process of obtaining a final inspection in order to close the permit is as follows:

• Once all the permit requirements have been completed, the owner or authorized representative must submit a Final Inspection Request form either by mail, email or fax to the County's Tree Permitting Program.
• A field inspection will be performed to verify that the permit requirements, using the Planting Mitigation Guidelines, have been completed and satisfied as stated in the permit. Once the permit requirements have been completed satisfactorily, the permit will be closed and the applicant will be informed accordingly.

Permit Expiration

A tree removal/relocation permit is valid for one year from the date of issuance. A permit may be renewed by contacting the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources, but must be done before the permit has expired. A renewal fee will be required.

Fees

See the Tree Permit Fee Schedule

Please be advised that the application and the initial inspection fees are required upon permit application submission and are non-refundable if cancelled, withdrawn or denied.

Penalties

Pursuant to Chapter 24 of the Miami-Dade County Code, once notified of the tree violation, you must comply within the allowed timeframe by submitting the required permit application together with the non-refundable After-the-Fact (ATF) Application and initial inspection fee, to the County's Tree Permitting Program.

Failure to adhere shall result in further enforcement action. This may include the issuance of a Uniform Civil Violation Notice pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 8CC of the Code, which carries a mandatory civil penalty and a requirement to correct the violation.

After-the-Fact (ATF) Permit

An After-the-Fact (ATF) tree removal/relocation permit is required for trees that have been removed/relocated or effectively destroyed within Miami-Dade County.

The application and per-tree fees for an ATF tree removal/relocation permit costs double than normal.

Tree Trimming

A tree removal/relocation permit is not required for the selective pruning or trimming of trees, provided the pruning is done according to the most recent American National Standards (ANSI) A-300 Standard Practices for Tree Care Operations.

However, excessive pruning of more than 25% of the tree's canopy (i.e. hat-racking, topping, etc.) and other activities (i.e. trunk girdling, excessive root cutting, use of tree-killing chemicals, etc.), which results in the effective destruction of a tree, constitutes a violation of Section 24-49 of the Code of Miami-Dade County.