Trusted Tree Removal & Trimming Service
in Miami
Do You Need a Permit to Remove a Tree in Miami-Dade?
Miami Tree Service Company gets this question on almost every estimate, and the short answer is usually yes. Miami-Dade County requires a permit to remove or relocate any tree that isn't exempt, which in practice means trees with about a 3-inch trunk or 12 feet of height, unless you live in one of the 11 cities that run their own program. A county single-family permit starts at $98, and review takes about 21 days.
Where you live decides who you deal with. The City of Miami, Coral Gables, South Miami, Pinecrest, Homestead and Miami Lakes handle their own permits, while unincorporated areas like Kendall go through the county.
There are real exemptions, too. Many homeowners can remove ordinary trees from an existing single-family yard without a county permit, and a state law lets a signed arborist risk assessment clear the way for a dangerous tree.
Here's how it works in plain English, plus what happens if you skip it. Rules change, so confirm with your city or the county before the saws come out.
Why Choose Us
- Insured crews for removals over roofs, pools and seawalls
- Free, itemized written estimates before any work starts
- Permit paperwork help for Miami-Dade and city tree programs
- Hurricane-season pruning to ANSI A300, never hatracking
- Palm trimming that leaves the green fronds where they belong
- Full cleanup and haul-off on every job
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Tree Removal Permits in Miami-Dade and the City of Miami
County Permit or City Permit?
Miami-Dade County's tree permit covers unincorporated areas and any city without a tree ordinance of its own. Eleven cities enforce their own programs instead: Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Miami Springs, North Miami, North Miami Beach, South Miami, Homestead, Pinecrest, Miami Lakes and Miami Gardens.
Everywhere else, including Kendall, Westchester, Doral, Palmetto Bay and Miami Shores, private tree permits go through the county. Doral adds its own permit for trees in the city right-of-way.
What the County Permit Covers
Under county code, you need a permit to remove or relocate any tree that isn't specifically exempt. Specimen trees, with trunks 18 inches across and up, get the most protection.
- Ordinary trees in the yard of an existing single-family home are generally exempt
- Swale and right-of-way trees are never covered by that exemption
- Trees in protected natural forest communities always need county review
- Removed trees usually need replacement canopy, and specimen trees need more
Fees and How Long It Takes
The county's single-family fee sheet lists $98 up front, then $35 plus $12 per tree, capped at $320, plus a 7.5% surcharge. That sheet dates to 2011, but it's still the one the county links. Review takes about 21 days.
Cutting first and asking later costs more. Work done without a permit gets double fees, and you can still owe replacement trees on top.
City of Miami Tree Permits
Inside the City of Miami, Chapter 17 requires a permit to remove a tree or to prune 25% or more of it. The fee is $12 per tree, and after approval there's a 10-day window for public appeals before work can start.
That appeal window is real in neighborhoods like Coconut Grove, where tree permits get watched closely. Build the extra 10 days into your plans.
Swale Trees, HOAs and Neighbors
The strip between the sidewalk and the street usually belongs to the city or county, even if you mow it every week. Don't prune, remove or relocate a swale tree without approval. HOAs can stack their own rules on top of the city's.
The 163.045 Exemption for Dangerous Trees
Florida Statute 163.045 gave single-family homeowners a way around local permits in 2019, and the rules were tightened in July 2022. If an ISA Certified Arborist or a Florida licensed landscape architect does an onsite tree risk assessment, signs it, and finds the tree is an unacceptable risk, the city or county can't require a permit, a fee or a replacement tree. Unacceptable means removal is the only practical way to bring the risk below moderate.
- Applies only to single-family detached homes
- The assessment has to follow the ISA tree risk method and be signed
- It never applies to mangroves
An arborist report usually runs $150 to $450 per tree. For a big, hazardous tree, that can beat a full permit and mitigation.
Mangroves Play by Their Own Rules
Mangroves fall under the state Mangrove Trimming and Preservation Act, and Miami-Dade runs that program locally. You can trim your own fringe only when the mangroves are taller than 6 feet but not over 10 feet, and never below 6 feet. Taller stands need a Professional Mangrove Trimmer or a permit.
How We Handle Permits
On every estimate we figure out who issues the permit for your address, what it should cost and how long it will take, and we write it down right next to our price for tree removal in Miami. Our tree removal cost guide shows what the work itself usually runs.
A 21-day review is one more reason to start before hurricane season, and our hurricane tree prep checklist covers the rest. You can read the county's own requirements on the Miami-Dade tree removal and relocation permit page.
Have a specific tree in mind? Call (786) 767-5327 and we'll tell you what your address needs.