Local Guide · Tree services and arborists · Florida
What should Floridians know before hiring a tree service?
Florida doesn't license tree services, but state law limits local permits for dangerous trees on single-family lots when an arborist documents the risk. Here is how it works.
Florida has no tree service license; look for ISA certification and insurance. If an ISA-certified arborist or Florida licensed landscape architect documents that a tree on your single-family lot poses an unacceptable risk, your city or county can't require a permit, fee or replanting to prune or remove it. Mangroves are excluded.
Who licenses tree services and arborists providers in Florida
No state tree service license in Florida (ISA certification is voluntary). Florida does not license tree trimmers. Florida Statutes 163.045 relies on documentation from ISA-certified arborists or Florida licensed landscape architects for its dangerous-tree exception. Verify ISA credentials online and landscape architects on DBPR.
Verify an ISA credential →Key facts for Florida
- Florida bars local governments from requiring a notice, application, permit, fee or mitigation to prune, trim or remove a tree on residential property when the owner has documentation that the tree poses an unacceptable risk.
- The documentation must come from an ISA-certified arborist or a Florida licensed landscape architect.
- Florida defines residential property for this rule as a single-family, detached building on a lot used for single-family residential purposes.
- Florida says a tree poses an unacceptable risk if removal is the only practical way to reduce its risk below moderate under ISA tree risk assessment procedures.
- Florida bars local governments from requiring replanting of a tree removed under this rule.
- Florida's dangerous-tree rule does not apply to mangrove protection.
How does Florida's dangerous-tree rule work?
Florida Statutes 163.045 says a local government can't require notice, a permit, a fee, mitigation or replanting for pruning or removing a tree on a single-family residential lot if you have documentation that it poses an unacceptable risk. The documentation must be an onsite assessment following ISA's tree risk assessment practices, signed by an ISA-certified arborist or Florida licensed landscape architect.
What counts as unacceptable risk?
Florida says a tree poses an unacceptable risk if removal is the only practical way to reduce its risk below moderate under ISA procedures. Healthy trees that don't meet that bar may still fall under local rules.
How do you check credentials?
Verify ISA credentials through the ISA. Landscape architects are licensed through DBPR and can be checked on the DBPR license search; Florida's landscape architecture law is in Chapter 481.
How to choose a provider in Florida
- Verify ISA certification.
- Ask for liability insurance.
- For risky trees, get a signed risk assessment first.
- Check local rules for trees that aren't documented as dangerous.
- Leave mangroves to the specific permitting rules.
Questions people ask
Do I need a permit to remove a dangerous tree in Florida?
Not on a single-family lot if you have qualifying documentation from an ISA-certified arborist or Florida landscape architect.
Who can document the risk?
An ISA-certified arborist or a Florida licensed landscape architect.
Can my county make me replant?
Not for a tree removed under this rule.
Does the rule cover mangroves?
No.
Does it apply to condos or businesses?
The rule covers single-family, detached residential property.
Is there a Florida tree service license?
No.
Sources
This guide was written by our editorial team from the public sources listed above. It is general information, not legal advice; confirm licensing and terms directly with any provider.
