What counts as a specimen tree in Hollywood?

Section 106.25 defines a specimen tree as any tree with a diameter at breast height of 18 inches or greater, subject to four exceptions: non-native fruit trees grown for edible fruit, listed species of genus Ficus, all multi-trunk palms, and trees in poor condition or form as determined by the Landscape Inspector. Relocating a specimen tree or palm requires a bond or letter of credit under Section 106.27(D).

What does a Hollywood tree permit cost?

Section 106.27(A) sets the permit fee by resolution of the City Commission rather than in the chapter, so the current figure has to be obtained from the city. Section 106.27(A)(1)(a) charges no fee for trees that are relocated, or that lie in a utility easement and have to come out to bring utility service to the property. An after-the-fact application is triple the regular application fee under Section 106.27(A)(1)(b), and an appeal to the Planning and Development Board is $200 under Section 106.52.

Tree Removal Permits in Hollywood

Q: Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Hollywood?

Section 106.26(A) of the City of Hollywood Code of Ordinances makes it unlawful to cut down, destroy, remove, relocate or destructively damage any tree, or to cause any of those things, without first obtaining a permit from the city. Section 106.25 defines a tree as a woody perennial with a diameter at breast height of no less than three inches. Ten named species are exempted from the subchapter by Section 106.26(A).

Q: What is the penalty for removing a tree without a permit in Hollywood?

Section 106.99(A) provides for a fine of not less than $50 and not more than $500, or imprisonment for not more than 60 days, or both, in the discretion of the court. Each and every tree damaged, defaced, destroyed or removed in violation of the chapter is a separate and distinct violation. Section 106.53 authorizes the City Attorney to seek an injunction or restraining order in any court of competent jurisdiction.

In Hollywood the permit does not begin at removal. Section 106.26(A) of the Code of Ordinances makes it unlawful to cut down, destroy, remove, relocate or destructively damage any tree, or to cause any of those things, without first obtaining a permit from the city. Section 106.25 sets where a tree begins, at a diameter at breast height of three inches. 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 106.26(A) reaches any tree, and Section 106.25 defines a person to include a corporation, association, partnership, municipality, governmental agency and public or private utility, along with any other entity. A community association, a condominium, a commercial or industrial owner and an institutional campus are inside the section on the same terms. The subsection also covers causing a tree to be removed, so a board that directs a contractor is within it as well as the crew.

Section 106.26(B) treats owner-occupied property developed for detached single-family usage differently, exempting it from the chapter with two carve-outs. Division (A) still applies to trees with a trunk diameter of three inches or more measured 4.5 feet above grade, and all of Section 106.03 still applies. Section 106.26(E) exempts licensed nurseries, botanical gardens and commercial grove operations, but only for trees grown for sale in the ordinary course of business.

What Needs a Permit

The permit covers five acts under Section 106.26(A): cutting down, destroying, removing, relocating and destructively damaging. Section 106.26(A) then exempts ten named species from the subchapter, among them Brazilian pepper, poison wood, Australian pine, melaleuca, Norfolk Island pine, schefflera, earleaf acacia, lead tree and carrotwood. Section 106.25 defines a specimen tree as one with a diameter at breast height of 18 inches or greater, subject to four exceptions.

Two measuring points sit in the chapter, and they are worth settling before a survey is ordered. Section 106.25 defines a tree as a woody perennial with a diameter at breast height of no less than three inches, measured three feet above grade, that normally grows to an overall height of no less than ten feet in southeast Florida. Section 106.25 defines breast height as 4½ feet above natural grade, and Section 106.26(B)(1) measures the same three inches at 4.5 feet.

Pruning carries exposure of its own. Section 106.03(A) requires anyone who administers tree maintenance practices in the city to adhere to ANSI A-300, and Section 106.03(B) applies that standard to all palms and trees except avocado, citrus species, mango and schefflera. Section 106.25 defines tree abuse to include hatracking, lion tailing, over-lifting, shaping, and pruning that departs from ANSI A-300. Section 106.03(D) then requires a removal permit where abuse destroys a tree's natural habit of growth.

What It Costs

Replacement is the number that decides a budget, not the permit fee. Section 106.27(A) sets the fee by resolution of the City Commission rather than in the chapter, so the current figure has to come from the city. Section 106.27(A)(1)(a) charges no fee for trees that are relocated, or that lie within a utility easement and have to come out to bring utility service to the property.

Section 106.29(B)(5) sets the count of replacement trees from the area of impact and the category chosen, and requires their canopy at maturity to at least equal the canopy removed. The table credits a Category one tree with 300 square feet of replacement canopy, Category two with 150, Category three with 100 and Category four with 50, and Section 106.29(B)(6) requires at least 50% from Category one or two. Where replacement is not viable, Section 106.29(C) substitutes a Tree Preservation Trust Fund contribution, payable before the first building permit issues.

Section 106.27(D) requires anyone relocating specimen trees or palms to post a cash payment or performance surety bond from a Florida licensed surety company, or an irrevocable letter of credit. Section 106.27(D)(2) has the City Landscape Inspector compute the amount from the current Guide for Plant Appraisal published by the International Society of Arboriculture, and Section 106.27(D)(1) states that it stands in addition to any bond another governmental entity requires. An appeal to the Planning and Development Board costs $200 under Section 106.52.

What Happens If It Is Done Without a Permit

Section 106.99(A) makes a violation punishable on conviction by a fine of not less than $50 and not more than $500, or imprisonment for not more than 60 days, or both, in the discretion of the court. The sentence that matters to a board sits at the end of it. Each and every tree damaged, defaced, destroyed or removed in violation of the chapter is a separate and distinct violation, so across a row of trees the count multiplies. Section 106.53 authorizes the City Attorney to seek an injunction or restraining order.

Section 106.27(A)(1)(b) requires an after-the-fact application where removal was carried out without the permit, at triple the regular application fee, granted only on a finding that the application would have rightfully been approved before the removal and that each tree destroyed is replaced by trees of equal or greater equivalent replacement value, backed by a cash bond. Section 106.99(B) and (C) put a permit holder in violation without any unpermitted cut: replacement within 60 days of the permit being granted, or before a certificate of occupancy where removal facilitates construction, and one year of maintained health afterward.

What to Check With Your Contractor

Section 106.03(A) binds any person, company, partnership, corporation or service that administers tree maintenance practices in the city to ANSI A-300, so the standard runs to the crew as well as the owner. Section 106.02(G) lets the city's Landscape Inspector order tree work stopped where the person performing it is out of compliance with the chapter, the Code of Ordinances or the Zoning and Land Development Regulations, and the work may not resume until compliance is restored.

Construction on a treed site carries obligations before a tree is touched. Section 106.02(A) requires protective barriers approved by the city at the drip line of every tree to be retained, and Section 106.25 puts the drip line at no less than a five foot radius from the center of the tree and the barrier at no less than four feet in height. Section 106.02(F) prohibits excavation or a change of existing grade within the drip line unless it is demonstrated beforehand that the activity will not negatively impact the tree.

What to Do Next

Three things settle a Hollywood tree job before it is scheduled. Whether any tree in scope reaches 18 inches at breast height and is therefore a specimen under Section 106.25, because that is what pulls in the bond at Section 106.27(D). What the replacement canopy comes to under the Section 106.29(B)(5) table. And whether any tree stands on public land, a street right-of-way or a swale area, which Section 106.30 puts under city approval.

We settle those three before quoting. We inspect the trees, record species, diameter and condition, prepare the arborist report where the application calls for one, file the permit, install protection barriers to the standard Section 106.02 sets, and handle replacement planting where Section 106.29 applies. TWQ Landscaping handles tree permitting for the properties we maintain across Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade: community associations and condominiums, commercial and industrial sites, medical and senior living campuses, schools, religious campuses, hotels, multifamily rental, self-storage, dealerships, retail outparcels, marinas, mobile home communities, municipal grounds and mixed-use. Call (954) 583-4752 or request a proposal.

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

The information presented on this page was accurate as of 9 September 2026.

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