Pembroke Pines, FL Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

674, no property owner may cut down or relocate any tree without first obtaining a written permit from the city, and no tree may be removed from public land, including street rights-of-way and swale areas, without city approval. The application must state the reason for removal or relocation and must be accompanied by a homeowner association permission letter (if applicable), a sketch or map showing the tree's location and count, at least one color photo of each tree, the application fee, and a copy of any code violation notice tied to the request.

City officials will not process an incomplete application until all required documentation is submitted. The application fee is $10 for single-family, detached, owner-occupied properties, and $50 for nonresidential and multi-family properties covering the first ten trees; any site proposing to remove more than ten trees is instead processed as a landscape permit. Common-area HOA parcels are treated as nonresidential for fee purposes. 674(F) waives the fee for Category I invasive species listed by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council. 675, Landscape Division staff inspect the site and must find at least one qualifying condition, such as the tree unreasonably restricting permitted use of the property, interfering with utilities, damaging structures, or obstructing sightlines, before issuing a removal or relocation permit; the city can instead condition approval on relocating the tree at the owner's expense. 675(D) requires all replacements or relocations to be completed within six months of permit issuance unless the city grants a written extension.