Titusville, FL Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)
Key Facts
- Nuisance list source
- FLEPPC Category I invasive species
- Permit needed to remove
- No, per Sec. 30-35(d)
- Canopy credit
- None, excluded by Sec. 30-31.5(d)(3)
- Governing division
- LDR Ch. 30, Div. 2, Trees
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 20-2021, §§ 6-7, 9-28-21
Summary
Titusville's tree code treats Category I invasive species on the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council list as nuisance trees. Under Section 30-35(d) of the Land Development Regulations these nuisance trees may be removed without a tree-removal permit, and Section 30-31.5(d)(3) blocks them from counting toward a development's required tree-canopy area.
(3)Category I invasive plant species as listed by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council shall not be counted toward canopy area requirements. ... (d)Nuisance trees shall be removed; a permit is not required. A list of nuisance trees shall be those identified as Category I by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 54 Update 1 | Land Development Regulations: Supplement 19 Update 1 | Technical Manuals: Supplement 10 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
The Land Development Regulations do not create a freestanding ban on possessing or planting invasive plants generally; the rule lives inside Chapter 30's tree preservation article, Division 2, Trees and Vegetation. Section 30-35, 'Exceptions,' carves nuisance trees out of the citywide tree-removal permit requirement set by Section 30-39: subsection (d) states plainly that nuisance trees 'shall be removed' with no permit needed, and defines the nuisance-tree list as whatever the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (FLEPPC) designates Category I, the state's list of plants documented as altering native plant communities by displacing native species, changing community structures or ecological functions, or hybridizing with natives.
5(a). In practice this means a builder gets no canopy credit, and faces no permit delay, for clearing FLEPPC Category I trees, while removing a native significant, specimen or heritage tree triggers the full permit, removal-criteria and mitigation process under Sections 30-32 through 30-34. The rule was adopted by Ordinance No. 20-2021, Sections 6 and 7, September 28, 2021.
Violations & Fines
There is no separate penalty section for failing to remove a Category I tree; Section 30-35(d) is an exemption, not a mandate enforced against private owners. The exposure runs the other way: treating a FLEPPC Category I tree as a protected significant, specimen or heritage tree to inflate a canopy-area or mitigation calculation is a misrepresentation on a development application, subject to correction under Section 30-40's tree-survey requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to remove an invasive tree in Titusville?
Can invasive trees count toward a project's required tree canopy?
What counts as a Category I invasive species under this rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Titusville
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Titusville to another location·View the Florida invasive plant rules overview
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Prohibited Species in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Brevard County handle prohibited species.