Coral Gables, Florida
Tree Removal and Tree Service in Coral Gables
Coral Gables requires a city permit to remove trees on private property that meet its size thresholds, and treats any tree 18 inches in diameter or more as a specimen. Trees 24 inches and larger need double the replacement canopy. Even pruning needs a permit when it removes more than a quarter of the canopy.
- County
- Miami-Dade
- Tree rules
- Coral Gables Code of Ordinances Chapter 82, Article II; Greenspace Management Division
- Key local rule
- Removal permits for regulated private trees; specimen trees from 18 inches; double mitigation from 24 inches
- Electric utility
- Florida Power & Light
- Main hazards
- Hurricanes, tall banyans and ficus, limestone soils with shallow roots
When Coral Gables needs a permit
Removing a regulated tree on your lot
Size thresholds in Chapter 82 decide which trees are covered.
Relocating a tree
Moving a regulated tree uses the same permit category.
Pruning more than 25 percent of the canopy
Or cutting branches over 10 inches in diameter.
Any tree in the swale
Right-of-way trees are city trees.
Demolition and new construction
Tree surveys and protection measures are required with applications.
What is a specimen tree in Coral Gables?
Any tree with a diameter at breast height of 18 inches or more. Specimen trees get extra scrutiny, and removing a tree 24 inches or larger requires double the normal mitigation, calculated from the canopy area lost using the replacement credit table in Section 82-30.
- Under 18 inches
- Regulated trees still need permits, with standard mitigation.
- 18 inches and up
- Specimen tree.
- 24 inches and up
- Double replacement canopy.
Filing with Greenspace Management
Applications are filed online through the city's permitting system under Tree Removal, Relocations or Pruning, with a tree survey showing all regulated trees on the site and in the adjacent right-of-way. The Greenspace Management Division in Public Works reviews them.
A 2015 City Commission resolution directed staff to put the emphasis on preservation rather than removal during design and construction, and to require tree surveys and protection with demolition and design review applications. Removing a tree without a permit can bring code enforcement action, higher replacement ratios and a Tree Trust Fund contribution.
Trees that shape the Gables
- Banyans
- Old banyans with aerial roots line streets such as Old Cutler Road and dominate estate yards.
- Live oaks
- Planted along many residential streets, and among the most hurricane-resistant trees in the city.
- Royal palms
- Tall and formal, with heavy fronds that drop on cars.
- Black olive and mahogany
- Common shade trees with dense crowns.
- Ficus hedges and trees
- Fast, aggressive roots, and whitefly damage in recent years.
What Hurricane Andrew taught
Hurricane Andrew struck south Miami-Dade on August 24, 1992, with Category 5 winds. Coral Gables lost a large share of its canopy, and studies afterward showed sharp differences among species. Live oaks and gumbo limbo held up well. Large ficus, some exotic shade trees and overtrimmed palms failed in large numbers.
Those findings shaped what the city plants today. They also inform pruning: structurally sound crowns, not stripped ones. See storm preparation pruning.
Shallow limestone soils add to the risk. Roots spread wide but not deep, so wind can tip large trees out of the ground in one piece.
Removing or relocating a regulated tree
Register online
Open the application assistant and search for tree removal, relocation or pruning.
Upload the survey
Show every regulated tree on the lot and adjacent swale.
Review
Greenspace staff evaluate the request and the replacement canopy owed.
Plan mitigation
New trees on site, or a Tree Trust Fund contribution if space is short.
Do the work
After the permit is issued, with an ISA-certified arborist recommended.
Coral Gables tree questions
Can I prune my own trees in Coral Gables?
Yes, without a permit, as long as you remove less than 25 percent of the canopy and no branches over 10 inches in diameter.
Who maintains the tree in my swale?
Swale trees are city trees, maintained by the Greenspace Management Division.
Do palms count toward mitigation?
Replacement credits are set by Table 82-1. Ask the city how palms are counted for your site.
Does state law override Coral Gables rules?
Florida Statute 163.045 lets residential owners remove a tree documented by an ISA-certified arborist or licensed landscape architect as an unacceptable risk.
Reach a tree service in Coral Gables
Call to be connected with an independent tree company that works in the Coral Gables area, or leave your number and one will call you back.
(844) 955-1716Call availability varies by area and time of day
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