Port St. Lucie, FL Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Code § 154.03(L)
- Applies to
- New development and redevelopment
- List source
- Exotic Plant Pest Council Category 1
- Removal permit
- None required, § 154.14(A)(4)
- Ongoing duty
- Owners must keep removing exotics, § 154.05(C)
- Notice period
- 30 days to restore, § 154.05(E)
- Enforcer
- Planning & Zoning Dept / Code Compliance Board
Summary
Port St. Lucie's landscape code forces removal of Category 1 invasive plants before a project gets its certificate of occupancy. Code of Ordinances Section 154.03(L) names species such as Brazilian pepper, Australian pine, melaleuca, carrotwood, and air potato vine outright, tying the list to the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council's current Category 1 ranking rather than leaving it to interpretation.
(L)Removal of Exotic Vegetation. All new development and redevelopment shall be required to remove all pestilent exotic vegetation designated as Category 1 on the Exotic Plant Pest Council's most recent list of "Florida's Most Invasive Species" including, at a minimum: Melaleuca leucadendra (Punk Tree), Schinus terebinthefolius (Brazilian Pepper), and Casuarina species (Australian Pine), Acacia auriculiformis (Earleaf Acacia), Albezia lebbeck (Woman's Tongue), Bishofia javanica (Bishofia/Toog), Brassaia actinophylla (Schefflera), Enterolobium cyclocarpum (Ear Pod Tree), Eucalyptus spp. (Eucalyptus), Grevillia robusta (Silk Oak), and Sapium sebiferum (Chinese Tallow), Araucaria heterophylla (Norfolk Island Pine), Syzygium cumini (Java Plum), Melia azedarach (Chinaberry), Dalbergia sissoo (Rosewood), Cupianopsis anacardiodes (Carrotwood) and Lygodium microphyllum (Old World Climbing Fern), Dioscorea bulbifera (Air Potato Vine), and Pueraria montana var. lobata (Kudzu).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 103).
Full Breakdown
03(L) of the Landscape Code requires all new development and redevelopment in Port St. lobata (kudzu). 03(J). The obligation does not end at construction. 05(C) makes the owner, tenant, and agent jointly and severally responsible for keeping landscaping in good condition, free from refuse, debris, and exotic vegetation, and requires removal of all invasive and exotic plant material as an ongoing maintenance duty, not a one-time construction requirement. 03(L) from the permit process that otherwise applies to any protected tree of 12 inches DBH or greater.
07 places enforcement of Chapter 154 under the Zoning Administrator and treats violations the same as Zoning Code violations, with the Planning and Zoning Department issuing the first notice from a complaint and referring unresolved cases to the Code Compliance Division.
Violations & Fines
If a Planning and Zoning Department inspection finds Category 1 vegetation left in place after certificate of occupancy, Section 154.05(E) gives the owner, tenant, or agent 30 days' written notice to restore the landscaping to code. Missing that window sends the case to a Code Compliance Board hearing rather than an automatic fine, and the Board can order corrective removal and replanting before further permits, inspections, or certificates on the property proceed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which plants count as Category 1 invasive species in Port St. Lucie?
Do I need a permit to cut down an invasive tree on my property?
Does the removal requirement apply to homes built years ago?
What happens if I ignore a notice to remove invasive plants?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Port St. Lucie
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Port St. Lucie to another location·View the Florida invasive plant rules overview
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