Kissimmee, FL Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- LDC § 14-8-23
- Required list
- UF/IFAS Florida-Friendly Plant List
- Drought-tolerant minimum
- 50% of trees/plant materials
- Non-listed species in ROW
- barred without city arborist approval
- Species diversity
- 2 species (non-res.); 4 species (multifamily)
Summary
Kissimmee requires all trees, shrubs, and vines used to satisfy its landscaping code to be selected from the UF/IFAS Florida-Friendly Plant List, with at least half of all trees and plant materials drought tolerant. Species not on the list are barred from planting in public rights-of-way without the city arborist's written approval.
A.Canopy and understory trees.1.Tree species.a.All required trees shall be selected from the latest edition of the Florida-Friendly Plant List in "Florida Yards & Neighborhoods" edited by the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). At least 50 percent of all trees and plant materials shall be drought tolerant as specified on the Florida-Friendly Plant List.b.The director may approve a tree not listed in the Florida-Friendly Plant List if a dependable source of non-potable irrigation water is to be used.c.A minimum of two different species of trees shall be used on non-residential development sites requiring site plan approval and four species on duplex, triplex and multi-family residential sites.2.Prohibited trees. No person shall plant, or cause to be planted within the city, any species of tree and/or shrub within the right-of-way of a street, avenue, highway, alley, pedestrian right-of-way or pedestrian easement, which is not listed in the Florida-Friendly Plant List, unless support documentation is submitted and the planting of the proposed species is specifically authorized in writing by the city arborist.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 5).
Full Breakdown
Kissimmee Land Development Code § 14-8-23 sets the plant-material standards behind every landscaping requirement in the code, including street trees, parking lot buffers, and required yard trees. a requires all required trees to be selected from the latest edition of the Florida-Friendly Plant List published in Florida Yards & Neighborhoods by the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), and at least 50 percent of all required trees and plant materials on a site must be drought tolerant as identified on that list.
b). c), preventing single-species monocultures. 2, no person may plant any tree or shrub species not on the Florida-Friendly Plant List within a street, alley, or pedestrian right-of-way or easement, unless the city arborist specifically authorizes the species in writing based on submitted support documentation. 1. C requires pervious areas to be sodded or plugged with an approved grass type (Bahia, Bermuda, Centipede, St. Augustine, or Zoysia), and bars sprigged, weeded, or seeded ground cover except within the Agricultural Conservation (AC) zoning district.
Violations & Fines
Compliance is checked at landscape plan review, which is submitted alongside a site development or building permit application. A landscape plan that specifies non-listed species without arborist authorization, falls short of the 50 percent drought-tolerant threshold, or uses fewer species than required will not be approved, and no landscaping permit issues until the plant palette is corrected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Kissimmee require native or Florida-Friendly plants?
Can a homeowner or contractor plant a non-listed tree species in the Kissimmee right-of-way?
What grass types satisfy Kissimmee's ground cover rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kissimmee
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Kissimmee to another location·View the Florida landscaping rules overview
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