Altamonte Springs’ residential arbor application is listed as no fee, but no fee does not mean no documentation. The City form asks an applicant to make the site and proposed removal understandable before review.

Put these records in filing order

  1. Property address, owner, applicant, and contact details.
  2. A site sketch locating every tree proposed for removal.
  3. Dated wide and close photographs.
  4. The stated reason for each tree.
  5. An HOA approval letter when an HOA applies.
  6. A count and location record for the qualifying trees that will remain.
  7. The submitted form and receipt.
  8. The City decision, removal date, and closeout evidence.

The form says review may take up to five calendar days. Record the date of a complete filing rather than promising a decision five days after an incomplete inquiry. The Building and Fire Safety page should be checked for the active submission route.

Watch two different clocks

The application instructions say the permit is valid for 60 days. Put the approval date, calculated end date, and planned work date on the cover sheet. If work cannot occur within that window, ask the City what new or extended authorization is required; do not edit the old approval.

Separately, document the form’s instruction that two qualifying trees remain on the property. A photograph, marked sketch, and species or size information provide a clearer record than a bare “two remain” note.

Save the approved scope beside the post-work photographs. If the selected tree, work date, or remaining-tree plan changes, return to the City before assuming the original no-fee permit covers the change.