Miami Beach, FL Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

City Code Sec. 46-58 makes it unlawful to perform tree or palm removal work, or to "effectively destroy" a protected tree anywhere in Miami Beach, public or private, without first getting a tree work permit from the environment and sustainability department. Palms identified in a landscape neighborhood overlay may be swapped for the same species at the same spot with no extra mitigation. Any removal permit must also satisfy the minimum standards of Miami-Dade County Code chapter 24, article IV, division 2. Eight exemptions skip the permit entirely: non-specimen prohibited species; dead trees or storm/disease losses (act of God), unless the death itself was caused by a code violation; documented imminent-hazard removals backed by an ISA-certified or ASCA-registered arborist report; non-specimen trees under 3 inches DBH in a single-family yard; nursery and botanical-garden stock; mangroves and wetland trees regulated under county chapter 24; shrubs, hedges, vines and groundcover; and palms and clustering palms under 15 feet tall.

The city manager may suspend permitting after a declared emergency to speed storm cleanup. Routine landscape pruning is allowed without a permit as long as no more than 25 percent of the crown is removed in a year and the tree is not effectively destroyed. No building or right-of-way permit for construction, pools, decks, fences, driveways or demolition can be issued until the city confirms no tree work permit is needed or one has already been issued.