Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Palm Springs?

Yes. Section 34-223(b) of the Village of Palm Springs Code provides that land shall not be landscaped, cleared, altered or grubbed within the village unless written permission is first obtained by site plan approval and/or a permit, and that a tree shall not be cut down, destroyed, removed or effectively destroyed as a result of damaging it or changing the natural grade within the drip line, without first obtaining site plan approval and/or a permit.

Does Palm Springs have to be offered a tree before it is removed?

In conjunction with development or redevelopment, Section 34-223(c) requires that trees and palms slated for removal and destruction be offered to the village for relocation to a public property. The property owner provides at least 60 days of notice and grants the village permission to enter the property and relocate any tree approved for removal, so the notice runs two months ahead of the work.

What does tree replacement cost in Palm Springs?

Section 34-224 requires vegetation, including a tree, to be replaced with plants of the same or similar species and size. Where the site cannot support the total number of required replacement trees, the village may allow the owner to donate the excess trees for planting on public lands at the expense of the owner, to contribute the money equivalent of the required trees valued under the most recent edition of Valuation of Landscape Trees, Shrubs, and Other Plants, or to place the required trees on other lands owned by the same property owners. The money route is set by that appraisal guide rather than by a village fee schedule.

Tree Removal Permits in Palm Springs

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

Vegetation removed without a village permit shall be replaced with plants of the same or similar species and size under Section 34-224. Tree abuse is subject to remedial action, including replacement of the damaged trees with trees of like caliper and species under Section 34-224, and may be subject of fines per Section 2-235. A conviction under Section 34-1365 denies further land clearing, removing or filling permits in the village for one year from the date of conviction.

In Palm Springs a tree slated for removal in conjunction with development or redevelopment has to be offered to the village first. Section 34-223(c) requires at least 60 days' notice, and the owner grants the village permission to enter the property and relocate any tree approved for removal. That is two months of lead time before anything comes down, so it belongs in the schedule. 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?

The requirement sits in Chapter 34, Land Development, Article III, Landscaping, and Section 34-223(b) is written against land within the village and against any tree standing on it. A commercial site, an association common area, a condominium parcel, an industrial yard and an institutional campus are read against the same words. How the article is applied to a particular parcel is settled by the village, and that is worth a call before a scope is fixed.

The two Palm Beach County articles we read do not create a general permit to remove an ordinary tree, so on a removal in Palm Springs the village 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. Where a tree stands in a street or other public place, Section 34-223(a) routes the request differently. The application goes to the building official and is referred to the village manager for approval. Establish which side of that line each tree sits on before the application is drawn.

What Needs a Permit

Section 34-223(b) reaches past cutting. Land shall not be landscaped, cleared, altered or grubbed within the village unless written permission is first obtained by site plan approval and/or a permit. A tree may also not be effectively destroyed as a result of damaging it, or of changing the natural grade within the drip line, without that same approval or permit. Regrading around a tree is inside the section, and so is landscaping, which the code names alongside clearing, altering and grubbing.

Section 34-223(c) then adds a step ahead of the work itself. In conjunction with development or redevelopment, trees and palms slated for removal and destruction shall be offered to the village for relocation to a public property. The owner provides at least 60 days' notice and grants the village permission to enter the property and relocate any tree approved for removal. Approved landscape and tree protection plans may not be altered in any way except as the article provides.

Pruning carries its own section. Section 34-226 permits pruning to allow for healthy uniform growth, but not severe pruning for nongrowth related purposes such as improving visibility of signs or other features. Severely cutting back lateral branches and hatracking are prohibited. Pruning shall be performed in accordance with the latest standards of the National Arborist Association. A request to cut a tree back so a sign shows is a request the code names and forbids, which is worth settling before it reaches a work order.

Hazard work is allowed on stated terms. Removal of limbs or foliage which presents a hazard to structures or power lines is permitted. It shall be limited to the degree of pruning necessary to accomplish the removal of the hazard, so it is not a license to reduce the whole tree. Where limbs sit over energized conductors, our crews stay at least ten feet clear and the rest of that work is coordinated with the utility.

What It Costs

The figure that decides a budget here is replacement. Section 34-224 requires that any vegetation, including a tree, shall be replaced with plants of the same or similar species and size. That duty applies if it dies or becomes diseased, is removed without a village permit, or is the subject of tree abuse, including hatracking. Same species and same size is the standard, so the cost follows what was taken.

Where the site cannot support the total number of required replacement trees, Section 34-224 opens three routes. The owner may donate the excess trees to the village for planting on public lands at the owner's expense. The owner may contribute the money equivalent of the required replacement trees. That equivalent is set by the most recent edition of Valuation of Landscape Trees, Shrubs, and Other Plants, published by the International Society of Arboriculture. Or the required trees may be placed on other lands owned by the same property owners.

The money route is where a budget moves. That in lieu figure comes from an appraisal guide rather than a village fee schedule. What is owed on a mature tree is what the appraisal supports. Record species and caliper before a replacement obligation is estimated for a board.

What Happens If It Is Done Without a Permit

Removal without a village permit puts Section 34-224 into effect on its own terms. The vegetation shall be replaced with plants of the same or similar species and size, whatever else follows. Tree abuse runs the same way. Section 34-226 makes it subject to remedial action, including replacement of the damaged trees with trees of like caliper and species per Section 34-224. It may also be subject of fines per Section 2-235. Caliper and species are matched to the tree that was damaged, so a badly executed trim can carry the cost of the tree.

One consequence runs past the tree work entirely. A conviction under Section 34-1365 denies further land clearing, removing or filling permits in the village for one year from the date of conviction. On a property with phased work, that is a year without the land clearing, removing and filling permits the schedule depends on. The amount of any fine sits in Section 2-235 rather than in the tree article, and we confirm it with the village before it goes into a quote.

What to Check With Your Contractor

Palm Springs puts the debris duty on the trade by name. Section 14-1 requires that privately employed tree trimmers, tree surgeons, landscape contractors and operators of tree and shrubbery maintenance services shall remove all trash and debris from the premises upon which they are working. The section lists limbs, tree trunks, roots, shrubbery, clippings and other debris emanating from their work. It is written as an obligation on the company doing the work rather than on the owner of the land.

A charge is attached to it. Under Section 62-44, any landscaping company, yard maintenance company or tree trimming service will be charged a special collection rate plus an administrative fee. The charge covers the removal of vegetative waste left for collection at any location in the village by that company. Read with Section 14-1, debris in Palm Springs is the contractor's to remove and the contractor's to pay for. Ask how a bid handles haul away before it is accepted.

What to Do Next

Settle four things before work is scheduled in Palm Springs. Whether the job is in conjunction with development or redevelopment, because that starts the 60 days and the village's chance to take the tree. Whether the scope includes a grade change inside a drip line, or landscaping, clearing, altering or grubbing. Whether any tree in scope stands in a street or other public place, which routes the request through the village manager. And what replacement the site can carry under Section 34-224.

We settle those before quoting. We inspect and identify the trees, record species, size and condition, prepare the arborist report where the application calls for one, file the permit, give the village its notice where development triggers it, and carry our own debris off the property. 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, marinas, mobile home and RV parks, municipal grounds and mixed-use. Call (954) 583-4752 or request a proposal.

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

The information presented on this page was accurate as of 23 August 2026.

Related Services

Request a Proposal

Need a Tree Removal Permit in Palm Springs?

Serving Broward, Palm Beach, and Miami-Dade Counties

Get in Touch