The short answer
Before any lot is cleared, call 811 or file a ticket at my.sunshine811.com at least two full business days ahead, because pulling stumps and grading count as digging under Florida law. Check whether the trees need a permit: unincorporated Hillsborough charges an $81.65 application fee and can take three and a half weeks, and Tampa protects most trees over 5 inches across. Then mark everything that stays.
First Responder Transport clears lots with a tracked Kubota skid steer and its operator. The permits are the owner's, and the sections below are the order to get them in.
Call 811 first
Florida's damage prevention law, section 556.105 of the Florida Statutes, requires notice at least two full business days before any excavation. Sunshine 811 reads that broadly: anyone digging, and digging includes grading and moving earth. Root balls come out of the ground with whatever is running under them, so a clearing job needs a ticket the same as a trench does.
- How: call 811 or (800) 432-4770, or file online at my.sunshine811.com.
- When: weekends, holidays and the day you call do not count. File on a Monday and the earliest start is Thursday.
- How long it lasts: the marks are good for 30 calendar days. A job that slips past that needs a new ticket.
| Mark color | What is under it |
|---|---|
| White | The area you plan to dig, marked by you |
| Red | Electric |
| Yellow | Gas, oil or steam |
| Orange | Phone, cable and fiber |
| Blue | Drinking water |
| Green | Sewer and drain lines |
Walk the lot with that last point in mind. Septic tanks and drainfields, irrigation, a buried feed to a gate opener: tell us where they are, because nobody else will.
Which trees need a permit
There is no statewide tree permit. The county or city the lot sits in decides, and the answers differ a long way:
| Where the lot is | The rule |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated Hillsborough | A tree removal permit from Natural Resources may be needed. Application fee $81.65, plus $24.93 an acre over 5 acres. Staff inspect within 15 business days, results can take up to three and a half weeks, and the permit lasts two years. Clearing a whole area takes a separate land alteration permit. (813) 272-5600 |
| City of Tampa | Oaks, pines, elms and other protected trees over 5 inches in diameter, measured 4.5 ft off the ground, need a permit to remove. Construction Services, (813) 274-3100 |
| Plant City, Temple Terrace | Their own rules, not the county's. Ask the city |
| Polk County and its cities | Set by each city and by the county for unincorporated land. Plant City and Auburndale rules are on our land clearing page |
Start this first. A permit with a three-week inspection queue is the one thing that can hold a job longer than the 811 ticket.
The risk-tree exception
One state law overrides all of the above, for one kind of lot. Under section 163.045 of the Florida Statutes, a city or county cannot require a permit, a fee or replanting to remove a tree on single-family residential property if the owner has signed documentation that the tree poses an unacceptable risk to people or property.
The documentation has to come from an ISA certified arborist or a Florida licensed landscape architect, after an onsite assessment done to the ISA's tree risk assessment standard. It covers that tree, on a lot in use as a single-family home. It does not cover clearing a vacant lot, and keep the signed copy: Tampa asks for it to be in hand at the time of removal.
Wet ground and what stays
If part of the lot holds water after rain, stop and ask before anything is cleared near it. In Hillsborough, the Environmental Protection Commission regulates wetlands, and clearing in one without its sign-off is a far bigger problem than a missing tree permit.
Everything that stays should be marked before the machine arrives: ribbon on the trees, stakes at the corners of a slab you are keeping, a line where the clearing stops. Settle what happens to the spoil too, spread on site or hauled away, because that changes the job and the price.
What to send for a price
Send these by text to (813) 422-0008 and you get a fixed price back, usually inside the hour:
- Photos of the lot from a couple of corners.
- What is staying, and where the clearing stops.
- Whether the spoil stays on site or goes.
- The way in: gate width, soft ground, anything overhead.
- The town, and the 811 ticket number once you have it.
The skid steer runs on tracks and arrives on our own trailer, so soft sand and a narrow gate are a quote question, not a reason to say no.
Questions people ask
Do I have to call 811 before clearing land in Florida?
Yes, if the work moves earth. Sunshine 811 counts grading and moving earth as digging, and section 556.105 requires notice two full business days ahead.
How long are 811 marks good for?
Thirty calendar days. If the job starts later than that, file a new ticket.
Do I need a permit to remove trees in Hillsborough County?
Often. Unincorporated Hillsborough issues tree removal permits through Natural Resources, with an $81.65 application fee. Tampa, Plant City and Temple Terrace set their own rules.
Can I remove a dangerous tree without a permit in Florida?
On a single-family home lot, yes, if an ISA certified arborist or Florida licensed landscape architect documents that it poses an unacceptable risk (s. 163.045).
Who gets the permit, me or the contractor?
Tree and clearing permits are in the property owner's name. Have them before the clearing date.
What areas do you clear lots in?
Tampa, Plant City, Thonotosassa, Lakeland, Auburndale, Davenport and Bradenton most often, and the rest of Hillsborough, Polk, Manatee, Lake and Orange counties.
