Margate, FL Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Section 35-0.3(d) of the Margate Code sets the trimming standard for the swale, the strip of public right-of-way between the edge of pavement and the abutting owner's boundary. The owner of the abutting property, not the City, is responsible for that strip and for every tree and shrub in it. All of them must be maintained so they do not impede pedestrian or vehicular traffic, or any other essential service or activity.

The numbers are specific. Shrubs are capped at a maximum height of 24 inches and must be pruned to prevent encroachment upon adjacent sidewalks and streets or obstruction of the view from any intersection. Trees must be pruned to provide a minimum of 8 feet of vertical clearance over sidewalks and a minimum of 14 feet of vertical clearance over roadways.

Subsection (d)(2) adds sight and light rules. Trees or shrubs cannot obstruct the light from any streetlamp or the view from any intersection. All dead, diseased or dangerous trees or broken limbs which constitute a menace to the safety of the public must be removed.

The City also holds a pruning power of its own, and it reaches beyond the swale. Margate has the right to prune any tree or shrub on private property when it interferes with the proper spread of light along the street from a streetlight, interferes with visibility of any traffic control device or sign, or interferes with sight distance relative to vehicles.

The swale rule sits next to the appearance standards in chapters 22 and 23 of the Code, specifically section 23-5(a)(5), which the owner must also meet. Section 35-0.3 does not fix a notice period, a fee or a cost-recovery process for City pruning. Chapter 35 was rewritten in its entirety by Ord. No. 2023-3, adopted July 5, 2023.