Melbourne, FL Tree Protection: Heritage & Protected Trees (2026)

Sec. 271 defines a "grand tree" as a tree and its root system within the cypress, oak, or pine species with a minimum 30-inch trunk diameter measured at breast height (DBH); for multi-stemmed trees with a union of wood above grade, the diameters of each stem are added together to reach a minimum 45-inch total. Sec. 272(g) then flatly bans cutting down, removing, relocating, or damaging a grand tree, and specifies the protection applies "without regard to their location or the date of final development approval," meaning an already-approved site plan does not exempt a grand tree.

The community development director, or a designee, can grant a narrow exemption only if a certified arborist confirms the tree is in advanced decline, if the applicant demonstrates genuine design effort to build around the tree but a permitted structure cannot otherwise be sited, or if a qualified professional or arborist confirms the tree is causing substantial structural or infrastructural damage with no feasible alternative like root barriers or trimming. Encroachment on a grand tree's root zone is limited to the same standards that apply to other protected trees under Sec.

272(f)(2). Grand trees on already-developed properties may be exempted from the per-DBH-inch removal fee if in decline or causing structural damage, and Sec. 272(g)(4) lets a successfully preserved grand tree's DBH-inches be credited toward removal fees owed for other trees on the same site. Tree surveys submitted with development applications must specifically identify grand trees under Sec. 272(c)(2)b.