Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Boca Raton?

Section 27-66 of the Boca Raton Code of Ordinances makes it unlawful for any person, directly or indirectly, to cut down, destroy, remove or move a tree without first obtaining a tree permit. The section covers specimen and historic trees, mangrove trees and natural beach dune vegetation as well, and it covers effectively destroying a tree through damaging it. Directly or indirectly reaches the owner who hires the work out.

When will Boca Raton issue a tree removal permit?

Section 27-73 sets the grounds. Where a tree stands in the buildable area or yard area of a planned structure or improvement and unreasonably restricts the permitted use, the applicant has to establish two further points: that the tree cannot reasonably be relocated elsewhere on the property, and that it cannot be relocated on or off the site because of the age, type or size of the tree. Other grounds reach a tree that is diseased, injured, in danger of falling, too close to existing or proposed structures, interfering with existing utility service, creating unsafe vision clearance or conflicting with other ordinances, as determined by the city manager.

What does a Boca Raton tree permit cost?

Replacement planting is the figure that decides the budget. Section 27-74 requires a replacement tree to be of a type that will attain an overall height at maturity of at least 15 feet and a trunk diameter at maturity of at least 3 inches, measured four and one-half feet above grade, and to be a minimum of 10 feet in overall height when planted. Under Section 27-3, a tree permit for mangrove wetlands requires each mangrove tree removed to be replaced with a mangrove seedling planted on the site. The permit fee is obtained from development services.

Tree Removal Permits in Boca Raton

Q: Which properties does the Boca Raton tree ordinance apply to?

Section 27-39 applies the article to all real property on which a designated specimen or historic tree is located, all vacant and undeveloped property, all property that is redeveloped, and the yard areas of all developed property. Developed and owner-occupied single-family or two-family residential property is excluded from that last category, as is an enclosed courtyard of an owner-occupied townhouse, where no designated specimen or historic tree is located there. The exclusion depends on owner occupancy.

Boca Raton's tree permit reaches the owner who hires the work out. Section 27-66 makes it unlawful for any person, directly or indirectly, to cut down, destroy, remove or move a tree without first obtaining a tree permit. The same section covers specimen and historic trees, mangrove trees and natural beach dune vegetation, and it covers effectively destroying a tree through damaging it. TWQ Landscaping prepares and files these applications, and our ISA Certified Arborist (NY-6948A) produces the supporting report where one is required.

Does This Apply to Your Property?

Section 27-39 of the Code of Ordinances sets out where the article applies. It covers all real property on which any designated specimen or historic tree is located, all vacant and undeveloped property, and all property that is redeveloped. It also covers the yard areas of all developed property. A commercial site, an association common area, a condominium parcel or an institutional campus is read against that last category. The two Palm Beach County articles we read do not create a general permit to remove an ordinary tree, so on a removal in Boca Raton the city rule is the one that governs. A separate county obligation does reach inside city limits: the countywide invasive non-native vegetation ordinance applies in incorporated areas except where a municipal ordinance conflicts, and our Palm Beach County guide sets out what it requires.

The yard areas category carries an exclusion, and the exclusion is conditional. Section 27-39 excludes developed and owner-occupied single-family or two-family residential property on which no designated specimen or historic tree is located. An enclosed courtyard of an owner-occupied townhouse is excluded on the same terms. The property has to be owner-occupied, so a rented house does not qualify. And one designated specimen or historic tree brings the whole property back in under the first category.

What Needs a Permit

Section 27-37 defines a tree by two tests, and both have to be met. The plant has to be a self-supporting woody perennial with a trunk diameter of 2 inches or more, measured four and one-half feet above ground level. It also has to be one that normally attains an overall height of at least 10 feet at maturity. A shrub-form plant, or a small ornamental that never reaches ten feet, falls outside that definition.

Specimen status in Boca Raton is conferred rather than measured. Under Section 27-44, the development services director may recommend the designation of certain trees as specimen or historic trees. The city manager reviews the recommendation, and the matter is presented to the city council for its determination. The council may then designate by ordinance those trees it deems appropriate. Size will not tell you whether a tree carries that designation, so check for one before pricing work on a large or old tree.

Section 27-73 sets the grounds on which a removal permit may issue. The first ground reaches a tree in the buildable area or yard area where a structure or improvement is to be placed, where it unreasonably restricts the permitted use. Two relocation tests then sit on top. The applicant has to establish that the tree cannot reasonably be relocated elsewhere on the property. It must also be established that the tree cannot be relocated on or off the site, because of its age, type or size. Both are required, and they are cumulative with the restriction test.

The other grounds turn on the condition of the tree. A permit may issue where the tree is diseased, injured or in danger of falling. The list continues with a tree too close to existing or proposed structures, interfering with existing utility service, creating unsafe vision clearance, or conflicting with other ordinances. Each of those is as determined by the city manager. A further ground is that it is in the welfare of the general public that the tree be removed for a reason other than those set out in the section.

Two grounds turn on process rather than on the tree. One is that a final development order has been approved and a complete building permit application for a main use building has been received. Under that ground, removal cannot run ahead of the filed application. The other applies to undeveloped or developed property exhibiting physical distress, and requires a landscape plan approved by the city manager and the community appearance board under Section 2-128. Section 27-73 was last amended by Ordinance No. 5706 on 22 October 2024.

What It Costs

The number that decides a Boca Raton budget is the replacement planting rather than the permit fee. Section 27-74 sets that standard at maturity, not only at planting. A replacement tree has to be of a type that will attain an overall height at maturity of at least 15 feet. The same type has to reach a trunk diameter at maturity of at least 3 inches, measured four and one-half feet above grade. It also has to be a minimum of 10 feet in overall height when planted.

Mangroves carry their own replacement rule. Under Section 27-3, a tree permit for mangrove wetlands requires the replacement of each mangrove tree removed with a mangrove seedling planted on the site. The permit fee itself is obtained from development services, and we confirm the current figure with the department before quoting. Plan the planting first and the fee second, because the planting is the obligation that scales with the work.

What Happens If It Is Done Without a Permit

Boca Raton counts a delayed death as a destruction. Section 27-37 defines effective destruction to include an act which will cause a tree to decline and die within a period of 3 years. The definition names damage inflicted upon the root system of a tree by the operation of heavy machinery. A tree that declines and dies within three years of that work is inside the definition, and Section 27-66 covers effective destruction on the same terms as removal.

Section 27-45 requires that vegetation destroyed or receiving major damage be replaced by vegetation of equal environmental value, as specified by the development services director. On a site under construction, that replacement has to be in place before occupancy or use, unless approval for the removal was granted under permit. The enforcement route for work done without a permit is settled with development services, and we confirm it with the department before advising a board on its exposure.

What to Check With Your Contractor

Clearing understory takes its own finding. Section 27-73 provides that no land clearing, removing or filling permit shall be issued unless the shrubs or ground cover are of an undesirable nature. They must also have no environmental or aesthetic value, as determined by the city manager. So a scope of work that includes clearing beds, hedges or ground cover needs that determination from the city. Damage to a root system from heavy machinery is named in the definition of effective destruction. Keep equipment and material off the root zones of the trees that are staying.

What to Do Next

Four things settle a Boca Raton job before it is scheduled. Whether any tree in scope carries a council designation, since size will not tell you. Which ground under Section 27-73 the removal rests on, and, if it is the buildable area ground, whether both relocation tests can be established. What replacement the site will owe under Section 27-74. And, where the removal is tied to development, whether the development order is approved and the building permit application has been received.

We settle those before quoting. We inspect the trees, document species, size and condition, check whether a designation applies, prepare the arborist report where the application calls for one, file the permit, protect the areas that have to be preserved, and handle replacement planting where it is required. TWQ Landscaping handles tree permitting for the properties we maintain across Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade: community associations and condominiums, cooperative and master associations, commercial and industrial sites, medical and senior living campuses, schools, religious campuses, hotels, multifamily rental, self-storage, dealerships, retail outparcels, marinas, mobile home and RV parks, cemeteries, municipal grounds and mixed-use. Call (954) 583-4752 or request a proposal.

TWQ Landscaping maintains commercial and community association property in Boca Raton. See landscaping services in Boca Raton.

The information presented on this page was accurate as of 30 August 2026.

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