Melbourne, FL Landscaping Rules: Native Plants (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 9.273(b)(1), (c)(1)a
- Minimum native trees
- 50% of required trees
- Palm cap
- No more than 25% of required trees
- Applies to
- Commercial, multifamily, industrial, mixed-use sites
- Design standard
- Florida-friendly landscaping principles required
- Species diversity
- No species over 60% of mix (>10 trees)
Summary
Melbourne's landscape code requires new commercial, multifamily, and industrial developments to make at least 50 percent of required trees native species, capping palms at 25 percent. City Code Sec. 9.273 also directs every landscape plan to use Florida-friendly design and gives credit for keeping existing indigenous plants in place.
(1)Florida-friendly landscaping design principles shall be employed in all landscape plans, and the use of drought tolerant plant material are highly encouraged. Existing indigenous plant material is encouraged to be retained whenever possible, and credit will be allowed for retention of viable plant material on the site.[...] Generally. For all required landscape plans, the total make-up of all trees shall be no less than 50 percent native, and no more than 25 percent palms, with the exception of existing palms to be protected and remain in place.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 32).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 273, Landscape Plans, applies to all future development and redevelopment in the city and must be satisfied before a building permit or parking-area permit is issued. Subsection (b)(1) requires Florida-friendly landscaping design principles in every landscape plan and encourages drought-tolerant material, while crediting the retention of existing indigenous plants toward a site's requirements. For commercial, mixed-use, multifamily, institutional, and industrial zoning, Sec. 273(c)(1)a sets the numeric floor: the total tree makeup on a required landscape plan must be no less than 50 percent native species, with palms capped at no more than 25 percent, except for existing palms being preserved in place.
The perimeter planting formula backs this up, requiring one native-list tree, two non-native-list trees, or up to 25 percent palm-list trees for every 50 linear feet of lot perimeter. Sec. 2 adds a species-diversity table: once more than ten trees are required, at least two to five distinct species must be used depending on the tree count, and no single species can make up more than 60 percent of the mix. Sec. 274 supplies the actual native tree lists (overstory and understory species) that a plan must draw from, and Sec. 273(c)(2) extends a scaled-down native-tree minimum to individual one-, two-, and three-family residential lots based on lot size.
Violations & Fines
A landscape plan that fails to meet the 50 percent native minimum or 25 percent palm cap, or that omits Florida-friendly design elements, will not be approved by staff, and Sec. 9.273(a)(1) bars issuance of any related building permit until the plan is corrected. Community development staff review the plan before construction plan or building permit approval, and noncompliant plantings are not credited toward the site's tree requirement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Melbourne require native plants in commercial landscaping?
What counts as "Florida-friendly landscaping" under Melbourne's code?
Do I get credit for keeping existing native trees on my Melbourne lot?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Melbourne
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Melbourne to another location·View the Florida landscaping rules overview
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Native Plants in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Brevard County handle native plants.