Tree Trimming and the Natural Resources Protection Code
Article 11 of the Broward County Natural Resource Protection Code outlines regulation of the tree trimming industry. This action was taken as a result of concerns about the quality of tree trimming practiced in Broward County, and to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public.
Purpose:
Through continuing education, this ordinance reduces the frequency of poor pruning practices such as over lifting, rounding, flush cuts, stub cuts, hat racking and other forms of pruning-related tree abuse. These poor pruning practices damage trees, reduce their aesthetic value and can make them more prone to storm-related failure, creating hazardous situations. Tree abuse is prohibited under Chapter 27, Article 14 of the Broward County Code of Ordinances.
Two classes of licenses are issued, depending upon the level of professional training an organization‘s staff has achieved:
Class A Tree Trimmer License:
Requires a sole proprietor or a qualified individual for a business organization or a governmental agency to possess an International Society of Arboriculture Arborist Certification or be a Registered Consulting Arborist with the American Society of Consulting Arborists. Also required is an affidavit stating that the required number of employees have either successfully completed a substitute training course or the training course offered by Broward County Extension Education.
Class B Tree Trimmer License:
Requires a sole proprietor, a business organization, or a governmental agency to demonstrate that they have the required number of employees who have successfully completed the training course offered by Broward County Extension Education and have passed an examination.
All businesses or governmental agencies that advertise, offer or perform tree trimming in Broward County are required to obtain a Tree Trimmer License. Licenses are valid for a maximum of two years.
Our enforcement officers look for unlicensed tree trimmers and for tree trimmer crews working without a qualified person physically present on the job site. Any organization or individual operating without the required Class A or Class B license is subject to a notice of violation, a citation or a stop-work order. Violators can be fined up to $15,000 dollars per day, depending on the severity of the infraction.
To report unlicensed Tree Trimmers please call us at 954-765-4400, Option 2 or email.
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