Palm Coast's tree and landscape code is consolidated in Land Development Code Chapter 11 — Tree Protection, Landscaping, Buffering and Irrigation. Permits and plan review run through Building Services (160 Lake Avenue, 386-986-3780). The City has been a Tree City USA for 20 consecutive years, supports a full-time Urban Forester (Carol Mini, 386-986-3722), and operates a Green Team and Annual Arbor Day program. State overlays: FS 163.045 (hazardous-tree exemption on SFR lots), FS 373.185 (Florida-Friendly Landscaping HOA preemption), Ord. 2016-6 (SFR/DPX/EST buildable-area carve-out).
Palm Coast Land Development Code Chapter 11 — Tree Protection, Landscaping, Buffering and Irrigation — is the master tree and landscape ordinance. It sets the permit threshold (6-inch trunk caliper at 4.5 feet, or 4-inch if surveyed for credit), classifies protected/specimen/historic trees, establishes landscape buffer and parking-lot interior planting standards, requires irrigation system minimums, and provides replacement/mitigation rules. Ordinance 2016-6 amended Chapter 11 to allow SFR/DPX/EST owners to remove buildable-area specimen or historic trees with no mitigation when footprint shifting is infeasible. Building Services (160 Lake Avenue, Palm Coast FL 32164; 386-986-3780; Monday-Friday 8am-5pm) issues tree-removal and landscape permits and inspects replacements. The City's Urban Forester (Carol Mini, 386-986-3722; cjmini@palmcoastgov.com) supports Chapter 11 implementation, the Green Team, and Annual Arbor Day programming. Palm Coast has been recognized as a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation for 20 consecutive years, meeting the four standards: maintaining a tree department/board, having a community tree ordinance (Chapter 11), spending at least $2 per capita on urban forestry, and celebrating Arbor Day in January. The City's published Tree Pruning Regulations require ANSI A300 pruning practices. State overlays: FS 163.045 (hazardous-tree single-family preemption), FS 373.185 (Florida-Friendly Landscaping protection), and FDACS-administered noxious-weed and Champion Tree programs.
Common violations enforced under Chapter 11: (1) removing or significantly pruning a 6-inch+ caliper tree without a permit outside the FS 163.045 / Ord. 2016-6 carve-outs — Notice of Violation, mandatory mitigation, Special Magistrate fines; (2) failing to install required Chapter 11 landscape buffers — blocks Certificate of Occupancy; (3) installing artificial turf in lieu of required live plant material in landscape buffers — plan-review denial; (4) hat-racking or topping a regulated tree — violates published Tree Pruning Regulations and ANSI A300; (5) failing to maintain the 10-inch grass/weed height — City abatement plus billing.
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