Permit Guide · Protected Trees
Protected Trees in Tallahassee: Species, Sizes & Patriarch Trees
Two identical-looking water oaks can carry completely different rules depending on their diameter, the property they stand on, and which side of the city line they are on. This page lays out what makes a tree protected around Tallahassee, so you can work out where yours falls before you book a removal.
Protection depends on three things
There is no single list of protected species that settles it. Whether a tree is regulated comes down to the combination of its size, its species, and the property type and jurisdiction it sits in.
This is why generic advice found online tends to be wrong for your specific tree. A 20-inch live oak might be unregulated on one lot and firmly regulated a mile away.
- Size — measured as DBH, the diameter at 4.5 feet above ground
- Species — hardwoods, longleaf pine, and dogwood carry their own thresholds
- Jurisdiction and property type — city or county, single-family or not
Inside Tallahassee city limits
For single-family detached residential lots, the practical threshold is 36 inches DBH. Below that, and outside the special categories, most removals are unregulated.
Everything that is not single-family detached residential faces substantially lower thresholds, which catch far more trees.
- Single-family detached: 36 inches DBH or greater
- Hardwood or longleaf pine, non-single-family: 12 inches DBH or greater
- Dogwood, non-single-family: 4 inches DBH or greater
- Any tree over 4 inches DBH in a lot perimeter zone, non-single-family
- Other species, non-single-family: 18 inches DBH or greater
Unincorporated Leon County is stricter on oaks and pines
Outside city limits, the county's Land Development Code applies, and the thresholds for the two species Tallahassee is most defined by are considerably lower — live oaks and longleaf pines are regulated from a much smaller diameter than the city's single-family allowance.
If you are in Woodville, Crawfordville, Miccosukee, or anywhere else outside the city boundary, do not assume the 36-inch figure applies to you. Confirm with the county's Development Support and Environmental Management division before scheduling.
- Live oak and longleaf pine: regulated from 12 inches DBH
- Dogwood: regulated from 4 inches DBH
- General threshold for other species: 18 inches DBH
- Exemptions differ inside and outside the urban services area
- Confirm your parcel with Leon County DSEM before removal
Categories that ignore size entirely
Some trees are regulated no matter how small they are. These are the ones that generate expensive surprises, because a homeowner measures a modest trunk, concludes they are clear, and removes a tree that was never about size.
- State-recognized Patriarch Trees — exceptional specimens with their own designation
- Wetland trees of any size
- Any tree within 100 feet of a canopy road centerline
- Trees planted to satisfy earlier landscape or mitigation requirements
Trees planted as previous mitigation
This one is genuinely easy to miss. If a tree on your lot was planted to satisfy a landscape requirement or as mitigation for an earlier removal — possibly by a previous owner, possibly decades ago — it is protected regardless of its size today.
If your property was developed or subdivided relatively recently, or if you see a row of similarly-aged trees along a boundary or parking area, ask whether any of them were required plantings before you remove one.
Identifying what you actually have
Tallahassee's canopy is dominated by southern live oak, water oak, laurel oak, southern magnolia, and slash and longleaf pine — and the oaks in particular are routinely misidentified by homeowners.
Live oak holds small, leathery, evergreen leaves and spreads wide and low. Water oak and laurel oak both drop their leaves and are far more prone to internal decay, which is why so many Tallahassee removals are water oaks. Longleaf pine carries very long needles in bundles of three and is regulated more tightly than slash pine in the county.
If species identification determines whether you need a permit, get it confirmed rather than guessed. Send photos of the leaves, bark, and full canopy and we can usually tell you what you are dealing with.
- Live oak — small evergreen leaves, wide low spread
- Water oak — deciduous, frequently hollow or decayed internally
- Laurel oak — deciduous, declines fast after storm damage
- Longleaf pine — very long needles in bundles of three
- Southern magnolia — large glossy evergreen leaves
Frequently asked questions
Are live oaks protected in Tallahassee?
It depends on where you are. On a single-family detached lot inside city limits the practical threshold is 36 inches DBH. In unincorporated Leon County, live oaks are regulated from a much lower diameter. And in a canopy road protection zone, size does not matter at all.
What is a Patriarch Tree?
A state-recognized designation for exceptional individual trees. A Patriarch Tree requires a permit for removal regardless of its size or the property type it stands on.
Is a pine tree protected in Tallahassee?
Longleaf pine carries its own threshold and is treated more protectively than other pines, particularly in unincorporated Leon County. Slash pine is generally treated under the general thresholds. Identify which one you have before assuming.
How do I find out if a tree on my lot was planted as mitigation?
Ask the permitting office with your Parcel ID. Required plantings from an earlier permit are recorded, and they stay protected regardless of the tree's current size.
Does being protected mean I can never remove it?
No. It means removal requires a permit and usually a compensation requirement — replanting, a fee-in-lieu, or credit for preserved trees. And if the tree is genuinely hazardous, Florida's arborist documentation exemption may remove the permit requirement entirely.
Next steps
If you are worried about a tree, send clear photos of the trunk, canopy, base, and anything underneath. We can usually tell you whether it is a routine removal, an emergency, or something that needs a closer look.