Landscape Regulations & Review

Purpose

For over 30 years, the City has been recognized as a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation. The City is committed to maintaining and increasing the overall aesthetic and environmental quality of our public, commercial, and non-residential properties. The City's Development and Neighborhood Services Department performs landscape inspections for new construction projects and annually inspects properties with approved landscape plans to ensure compliance and that vegetation has not been lost due to poor maintenance practices or natural disasters. Staff works with the community to improve deficiencies in the landscape, aids in plant placement and selection, and continuously strives to keep Greenacres a place that our residents and business owners can be proud of.

Landscape Code

The City of Greenacres Landscape Code is located in the Zoning Code, Chapter 16, Article VII. When properly designed, installed, and maintained, landscaping provides tremendous value to our community. Providing more than just aesthetic value, landscaping increases the value of the built environment by providing oxygen, improving air quality, conserving water, providing shade, reducing pollution, and supporting wildlife.

"Right Plant, Right Place"

Staff encourages the use of Florida-Friendly Landscaping (FFL) principles or "Right Plant, Right Place", which means choosing resource-efficient plants (those that use less water, pesticides, and fertilizer), which will grow and remain healthy with minimal care under the site conditions. The intent is to conserve water and reduce negative impacts on our City, water bodies, and wildlife habitats. The City is within Zone 10 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Plant Hardiness, the standard by which gardeners and growers can determine which plants are most likely to thrive in a specific location. Before you begin any digging, Florida law requires you to call 811, or submit a request online at sunshine811.com, so FPL and other utilities can show you where cables and pipes are located. Below are links to related landscaping resources:

• University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS): FFL Plant Guide
• International Society of Arboriculture’s (ISA): Tree Owner Information
• Florida Power and Light (FPL): Right Tree, Right Place
• Community Greening: Tree Giveaways
• Florida Senate: 2024 Statutes Relating to Trees

Tree Removal or Relocation

A landscape permit is required to remove or relocate any trees on a commercial or residential property. To obtain a permit, you must submit a completed Landscape Application to the City's Building Division. Note: Work may not be performed until the application is approved and a permit is issued; submission of an application does not authorize the removal of trees.

The following conditions must be proven to the City to issue a tree removal or relocation permit (Section 16-1248):

1. The tree constitutes an unreasonable impediment to the continuance or development of a permitted use of the property by virtue of its location in a buildable area or yard area where structures or improvements are to be placed and, at the determination of the City, suitable alternatives do not exist;
2. The tree is diseased, injured, in danger of falling, is too close to an existing or proposed structure so as to endanger the structure, interferes with utility services, creates unsafe vision clearances, or conflicts with other ordinances or regulations (Structure defined as foundation, not sidewalk or driveway);
3. The tree is in excess of the tree requirements for a property containing a single-family residence or duplex and is not listed as a preferred native tree or palm in Table 16-1307 of the City's Zoning Code;
4. The tree has been destroyed or died;
5. The tree proposed to be removed is growing too close in proximity to another tree to permit normal growth and development of the affected tree (Cannot be mitigated through proper arboriculture practices); or
6. The tree is not considered a designated historic or specimen tree:
   1. Older than (15) years;
   2. Very large size for its species; and/or
   3. Of a rare variety.

Tree Removal Permit Exemptions

1. Prohibited trees listed in Table 16-1312(a) of the City's Zoning Code may be removed for any reason without a permit for vegetation removal.
2. Other than for trees, the permit requirement for vegetation removal at single-family and duplex residential lots may be waived at the discretion of the Development and Neighborhood Services Department Director or designee if the vegetation to be removed is replaced at a 1:1 ratio.
3. Trees with a trunk less than one (1) inch in diameter, measured at a point which is at least four and one-half (4.5') feet above finished grade, may be removed without a permit.
4. As referenced in F.S. § 163.045, residential property shall be defined as fee-simple, single-family, attached or detached, or duplex lots. Those parcels or lots that comprise the common elements or community property, in whole or in part, within a PCD, PUD, and/or MXD shall not be defined as or deemed to be "residential property" for the purposes of F.S. § 163.045. Residential properties that utilize the state statute exemption are required to file the required documentation from an arborist certified by the International Society of Arboriculture or a Florida licensed landscape architect that provides a reason and justification that the tree presents a danger to persons or property with the City's Development and Neighborhood Services Department . 

For more information about landscaping or tree removal, please contact the Planning, GIS, and Engineering Division at 561-642-2052 or via email at grouppz@greenacresfl.gov.