Homestead, FL Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)
Key Facts
- Native-species floor
- 50% of replacement trees minimum
- Palm cap
- No more than 30% of replacement trees
- Removed native trees
- 100% native replacement required
- Reviewed by
- Development Services Department
- Diversity trigger
- Applies once 10+ replacement trees required
Summary
When a Homestead tree-removal permit calls for replacement plantings, at least half of the replacement trees must be species native to Miami-Dade County, with palms capped at 30 percent. If the trees that were removed were themselves native, every replacement tree must also be native, a standard Development Services applies while reviewing replacement plans.
A minimum of fifty (50) percent of all replacement trees planted shall be native to Miami-Dade County, and no more than thirty (30) percent of the replacement trees shall be palms. However, when native trees are removed, all replacement trees shall be native species.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 87).
Full Breakdown
Section 29-64(b) of the City Code lays out a six-step procedure Development Services uses to calculate how many trees a permittee must replant after a tree-removal permit is issued. Step 5 of that procedure sets minimum species diversity: once more than ten replacement trees are required, the applicant must plant at least two to six different species depending on the total, and projects over 100 acres must exceed six species. Layered on top of that diversity rule is the native-species floor: a minimum of 50 percent of all replacement trees must be native to Miami-Dade County, no more than 30 percent of the replacement trees can be palms, and if the trees being removed were native species, every replacement tree must be native as well.
' Applicants who cannot meet the standard replacement schedule may instead propose an alternative landscape enhancement plan under Section 29-64(d), prepared and sealed by a Florida-registered landscape architect, but that alternative plan must still be reviewed and approved by Development Services before a tree-removal permit is finalized.
Violations & Fines
Development Services will not finalize a tree-removal permit or accept a replacement tree list that falls short of the 50 percent native-species floor or exceeds the 30 percent palm cap; the applicant must submit a corrected list or an approved alternative landscape enhancement plan. Replacement trees planted in violation of the approved list can be enforced through the city's code enforcement process, and non-compliant plantings must be replaced to close out the permit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Homestead require native plants in all landscaping?
What counts as a native plant species in Homestead?
Can I replace every removed tree with palms in Homestead?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Homestead
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Homestead to another location·View the Florida landscaping rules overview
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Native Plants in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Miami-Dade County handle native plants.