Port St. Lucie, FL Landscaping Rules: Tree Removal & Heritage Trees (2026)

Port St. Lucie's tree-removal rules sit in Code of Ordinances Chapter 154 (Landscape and Land Clearing Code) under the Tree Protection and Preservation Ordinance. A Tree Removal Permit must be obtained from the Planning and Zoning Department before a protected tree is removed. Mitigation is required at a ratio of one inch D.B.H. for each inch of D.B.H. removed; preserved or relocated trees that exceed minimum landscape requirements count as equivalent replacement D.B.H., and newly planted trees exceeding minimum landscape requirements count as one-half credit. Each preserved or relocated palm counts one-for-one toward palm mitigation. Platted single-family lots are exempt if they meet and maintain the minimum single-family landscaping requirements, and utilities may remove protected trees that endanger public safety within an existing easement or right-of-way. To encourage preservation, retained existing trees may be substituted for required landscape trees, and a tree protection barrier must be placed around preserved trees before any land clearing or construction.