Tree Removal in Tamarac, FL

Tree Removal in Tamarac on a single-family lot starts with the city's Single-Family Residential Tree Removal Permit Application. It asks for a survey, site plan or sketch showing each tree to be removed and each replacement, with location, species and trunk diameter, plus a letter from your homeowners association either approving the removal or stating that HOA approval isn't required. The city's form is blunt: incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Measuring your tree

The application explains how to get the trunk diameter: measure the circumference 4.5 feet above the ground and multiply by 0.31831. A 12-inch circumference works out to about 3.8 inches in diameter. If a tree is 18 inches or more in diameter, the city wants to be contacted to decide whether it counts as a specimen tree, which brings more scrutiny. We take these measurements during our visit and put them in the written estimate.

Replacement within 60 days

Removed trees should be replaced with similar trees within 60 days of approval: shade for shade, palm for palm, small for small, chosen from the approved species tables in the city's Land Development Code. In August 2025 the City Commission took up revisions to its landscape preservation ordinance, including a proposal that homeowners removing a tree under 18 inches in diameter would not have to replace it. Tamarac took over administering the ordinance from Broward County in 2023, so it's worth confirming the current rule with Community Development (954-597-3530) when you apply.

Communities with canals and older residents

Developer Ken Behring built Tamarac from 1963 onward as an active-adult community of two-bedroom, maintenance-free homes, starting with Tamarac Lakes east of State Road 7. Tamarac Lakes North went in on a former orange grove; the Mainlands and the Woodlands followed. In 2020 the median age was 47.5 and about 26% of residents were 65 or older. Many lots back onto canals, and the city sits only about 3 feet above sea level, among the lowest in the county.

Low ground and canal banks mean trees often sit in wet soil for much of the summer. Trees that have been undercut by bank erosion, or that lean toward the water to find light, are a regular part of our Tamarac work.

Common Tamarac jobs

• Removing trees lifting walks and drives in 1960s and 1970s sections
• Canal-bank removals with pieces lowered onto land
• Tree work coordinated with HOA and condo boards
• Removing palms near patios and screened rooms
• Stump grinding before replacement planting

A trust fund that may help homeowners

The 2025 revisions also addressed Tamarac's tree preservation trust fund, reported to hold about $100,000. Until then, the fund could only be spent on public property; the changes would let it pay for work on private property, too. The same package added definitions of hazardous and nuisance trees, so the city can require removal of dangerous trees that threaten public safety, and clearer guidelines for tree removal licenses for single-family owners. Ask Community Development what has taken effect before you plan a large replacement planting.

For many residents, especially those who no longer want to deal with contractors on their own, the most useful thing we do is explain every step in writing. Call (954) 314-3415 or send the form for a free estimate. Get a free estimate