Lauderhill, FL Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)

Section 6.8 of the Land Development Regulations, the City's tree preservation and abuse avoidance standards, singles out ten species as nuisance trees in the definitions at Section 6.8.4: Schinus terebinthifolius, Brazilian pepper tree or Florida holly, Metopium toxiferum, poisonwood, Melaleuca quinquenervia, cajeput or melaleuca, Casuarina species, Australian pine, Bischofia javanica, Acacia auriculaeformis, earleaf acacia, Araucaria excelsia, Norfolk Island pine, Schefflera actinophylla, umbrella tree, Leucaena leucocephala, lead tree, and Cupaniopsis anacardiopsis, carrotwood. That classification matters because Section 6.8.5 otherwise bars removing any tree in the City without first getting a tree removal permit, and bars removing a historical tree without Commission approval.

Section 6.8.6(b) carves nuisance trees out of that general permit requirement: they are exempt from the Section 6.8.5 prohibitions as long as removing them does not itself create a condition that poses an imminent threat to public safety or property. Where a nuisance tree does pose that kind of threat, the same subsection flips from permission to mandate: the tree shall be removed to alleviate any threat, and failing to remove it after a City warning is itself a violation of the tree preservation section.

The City of Lauderhill Code Enforcement Department, or a person designated by the City Manager, enforces Section 6.8 under Section 6.8.1. Because a tree survey submitted with any development application must still identify non-nuisance trees by common and scientific name, a nuisance species on a development site does not count toward the canopy a builder must otherwise preserve, relocate, or replace under the mitigation schedule in Section 6.8.7(f).