Do You Need a Permit to Remove a Tree in Broward County?

In most Broward yards, yes, you need a city (and sometimes county) permit before the tree comes down. The occupational card a crew used to carry is not the same thing as the removal permit on the tree. Fees, replacements, and how you apply sit with your city.

This walkthrough cites the live .gov pages we opened. Where a page would not load, we omit that fee or rule. Not legal advice; confirm with the city before you cut.

Broward Tree Services will come look for free, flag any permit needs, and give you a firm, itemized price before work is booked. Call (954) 754-6673.

Two different rules: the trimmer card vs. the removal permit

The tree-trimmer occupational credential is about who may commercially prune or take trees down. Some city pages still tell you to ask a hired crew for a Broward County Tree Trimmer’s License. That is a contractor-credential question, not the permit on your tree. The county’s old Tree Licenses deep link now redirects to the Broward Environment hub. That hub does not publish a July 1, 2025 sunset date for the tree-trimmer card, so this guide does not treat a sunset as confirmed. Verify current contractor rules with the county, and read what your city currently posts.

The tree removal / relocation permit is about the tree on the lot. Broward County’s Environmental Permitting Division states a license is required for the removal or relocation of trees, except for nuisance trees, and lists Tree Removal Licenses at 954-519-1224 / Tree@broward.org. If you live in a municipality, start with the city process below, then ask the county whether a county tree license is also required at your address. Do not assume one approval covers the other.

Florida Statute 163.045, a rule to verify, not a skip-the-permit card

Florida Statute 163.045 (2026) limits when a local government may require a notice, application, approval, permit, fee, or mitigation for pruning, trimming, or removing a tree on residential property. If a tree is an immediate hazard, see our guide on emergency tree removal in Broward.

As the statute is written:

• Residential property means a single-family, detached building on a lot actively used for single-family residential purposes (conforming or legally nonconforming).
• A local government may not require that permit/fee/mitigation package if the owner possesses documentation from an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certified arborist or a Florida-licensed landscape architect that the tree poses an unacceptable risk to persons or property.
• Documentation means an onsite assessment, signed by that arborist or landscape architect, performed to Best Management Practices, Tree Risk Assessment, Second Edition (2017).
• A tree poses an unacceptable risk if removal is the only means of practically mitigating its risk below moderate, using those same procedures.
• A local government may not require the owner to replant a tree removed in accordance with this section.
• The section does not apply to mangrove protection under ss. 403.9321–403.9333.

That is the statute, not a skip-the-counter card. Cities can still ask to see the documentation. Without that signed onsite assessment, assume the ordinary city permit still applies. We do not give legal opinions on 163.045; we flag what the city is likely to ask. Broward Tree Services does not claim ISA certification or a landscape-architect license on this page.

Snapshot: cities whose .gov pages we opened

Fees are only amounts printed on pages we opened. Fort Lauderdale’s landscaping pages list no tree-removal dollar amount, so none is shown.

Coral Springs note: That URL currently shows a “leaving the site” interstitial in some browsers. Process and “at no cost” language match the city’s published Residential Tree Removal page. Confirm the live form and HOA packet there before you apply.

Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale’s Landscaping Division reviews the landscape ordinance and checks that equivalent replacement requirements are in place for tree removal applications. Urban Forestry sends tree-removal permit questions to Landscaping / Development Services, not Parks. Emergencies and tree-abuse reports: 954-828-8000 or FixIt FTL.

Apply and track through LauderBuild, the city no longer accepts paper for new submissions, and work may not start until the permit is issued. Schedule landscape inspections in LauderBuild or at 954-828-6520 (Mon–Fri 8:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.). Less-complex walk-ins: Urban Design and Planning lobby, 700 NW 19th Avenue, 8:30–10:30 a.m., Monday–Friday. DRC / lower-level contact listed: Karl Lauridsen, 954-828-6071. Posted average review: five days non-DRC, up to ten days DRC. No tree-removal dollar fee appears on those pages; check the current DSD fee schedule in LauderBuild.

Hollywood

Hollywood Engineering, Transportation & Mobility oversees tree removal permits. Complete the Tree Removal/Relocation application, include tree information and photos, and get approval before removing the tree.

From the live form and the city’s application PDF (revised October 2023): give number of trees, species, location, and photos (staff may also want a site plan or scaled tree survey). Staff inspect against Chapter 106; relocation on site may be approved instead of removal. The paper is not a permit until staff have inspected and found a valid reason, you have paid, and Hollywood has assigned a permit number. Fees on the application: $45 per tree for single-family; for all others, $153 processing plus $45 per tree. After-the-fact is three times the permit fee. Mitigation: trees at 12' / 2" DBH and/or palms at 8' clear trunk (3 palms = 1 tree), Florida Grade #1 or better. 60 days from issue to finish the work and plant; call 954-921-3900 for the follow-up, or one is auto-scheduled. Apply online or at City Hall, Room 308, 2600 Hollywood Boulevard.

Coral Springs

Coral Springs Residential Tree Removal is written for single-family or duplex owners and describes that process as at no cost. Multi-family and commercial properties need a commercial tree removal permit through the Building Division before removing, relocating, or encroaching on trees.

As the city page publishes it: create an eTrakit account; include written HOA approval; show location, species, and diameter of trees coming out plus proposed replacements (survey preferred; a labeled sketch of boundaries, roads, house, and driveway may suffice); file through eTrakit or drop the form at City Hall, 9500 West Sample Road. Replace with like trees within six months of permit approval. Questions: 954-344-1117.

The same page still tells residents to ask a hired company for a Broward County Tree Trimmers License, hiring advice to verify with the county, separate from this removal permit.

Pembroke Pines

Pembroke Pines Tree Removal or Relocation is blunt: a permit is required on commercial or residential property. Submitting the application is not authorization to cut. Work may not start until a permit is issued.

The city asks for a completed, signed application; an HOA letter of approved action when applicable; a sketch or location map and the number of trees; at least one color photo of each tree; and any notice of code violation. Call 811 before you dig.

Fees printed on that page (non-refundable): detached single-family $25; multi-family or commercial $50 for up to 10 trees, plus $10 each additional tree. Staff will not inspect until payment is in. File through the Development HUB, or mail/hand-deliver to Planning and Economic Development, Attention: Landscaping/Tree Removal, 601 City Center Way, 3rd Floor. Appoint the Landscape Inspector at 954-392-2100 or landscape@ppines.com.

Clock, as posted: inspection within 10 city business days; replacement within 30 calendar days; second inspection at least 90 calendar days after issue; permit expires 90 calendar days after issue (written extension possible). Justifications are listed under § 155.675.

Davie

Davie’s landscape FAQ answers the homeowner question directly: yes, a tree removal/relocation permit is required in most situations. The Town says a homeowner can complete it with help from a Town landscape inspector.

• Fee: $35 for removal or relocation of up to 2 trees on an existing single-family lot, inspections included.
• Invasive/exotic species: no permit for species listed in Sec. 12-152, unless taking them out leaves the property below the Town’s required tree count. Then a no-cost permit may still be needed and mitigation may be required.
• Replacements: in most situations, plant one or more replacement trees. Staff will help with species and location.
• Hiring a crew is not required; the Town strongly recommends an insured company. Davie’s FAQ currently still cites a Broward County Tree Trimmer’s License if you hire, verify that occupational line with the county.
• Contact: Drew Lindemann, Chief Landscape Inspector, 954-797-2056.

A simple order of operations

Identify the city. Check species against any invasive/nuisance list (Davie Sec. 12-152; the county nuisance exception). Mangroves are a different statute. Treat 163.045 as relevant only for single-family detached residential property and only if you already have the signed onsite risk assessment the statute describes. File with the city (photos, sketch or survey, HOA approval when asked). Ask EPD (954-519-1224 / Tree@broward.org) if a county tree license is also required. Wait for the issued permit, Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, and Fort Lauderdale all say the application is not permission to cut. Budget the replacement (30 days in Pembroke Pines, 60 in Hollywood, 6 months in Coral Springs). Call 811 before digging stumps or planting.

For what a typical Broward takedown costs after the permit is sorted, see tree removal cost in Broward County.

What Broward Tree Services will (and will not) do

On the free on-site look we assess the tree, flag any permit needs, and hand you a firm, itemized price. A price is not firm until we have seen the tree and the permit picture is clear. We do not claim to pull permits in every Broward city, and we do not treat 163.045 as a substitute for calling the city.

Call (954) 754-6673 for a free on-site look in Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Coral Springs, Pembroke Pines, Davie, and across Broward County. Open daily 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM.

Sources (confirm before you apply): Broward Environment; FTL Landscaping; FTL Urban Forestry; LauderBuild; Hollywood Engineering; Hollywood application; Coral Springs Residential Tree Removal; Pembroke Pines; Davie FAQ; F.S. 163.045 (2026).