Tree Removal Permits in Port St. Lucie

Port St. Lucie requires a Planning and Zoning permit before removing a protected tree: one 12 inches or more in diameter at breast height, or a native palm with at least 10 feet of clear trunk (city tree page).

The Port St. Lucie City Council adopted the Tree Protection and Preservation Ordinance on August 8, 2011, and it applies on public or private property (Tree Protection and Preservation page). The city frames it as part of a citywide effort to enlarge the urban forest and tree canopy, and says Port St. Lucie has consistently been recognized as a Tree City USA community by the Arbor Day Foundation since 2005. The application packet adds that removal or damage of any protected tree without an approved permit is unlawful and can result in fines or penalties, and that the same permit covers relocation of a protected tree (Tree Removal Permit Application Packet).

Diameter is measured 4-1/2 feet above grade, according to the Port St. Lucie application form (application packet). The detailed planting and landscape rules sit in Chapter 154 of the city code, the Landscape and Land Clearing Code, with Appendix C as the approved tree list, both linked from the city's tree page.

Pruning is a different matter from removal on the Port St. Lucie forms. The application packet points owners to FPL.com/trees and to an edis.ifas.ufl.edu tree pruning page for pruning information (application packet), and the city tree page links an FPL guide titled Plant the Right Tree in the Right Place along with Arbor Day Foundation advice on when to prune (Tree Protection and Preservation resources). Near streets, the Port St. Lucie Public Works FAQs say that when trees must be trimmed for a new streetlight, FPL contacts Public Works, which brings in a licensed and insured arborist (Public Works FAQs).

Platted single-family lots in Port St. Lucie are exempt from the tree preservation requirements as long as the minimum single-family landscaping requirements are met and maintained (Tree Protection and Preservation exceptions).

All four rows come from the Port St. Lucie tree page. The city's Planning and Zoning applications page lists the Tree Removal Application and a separate No Tree Affidavit Application among its applications (Planning and Zoning Applications, Fees and Guides). The Port St. Lucie form itself asks whether the removal is part of a project that will require a building or clearing permit.

The Port St. Lucie application listed a nonrefundable $35.00 application fee as posted October 22, 2026, and four required submittals: the trees to be removed, the reason, a licensed arborist's written recommendation and a tree location survey (Application for Tree Removal Permit).

The table follows the Port St. Lucie application packet. The applicant may be the owner of record, a lessee, a buyer or an authorized agent, and anyone other than the owner must attach written authorization signed by the record owner. By signing, the applicant authorizes the Zoning Administrator or a designee to visit the property.

Port St. Lucie posts two different Planning and Zoning phone numbers: the application form lists (772) 871-5212 at 121 SW Port St. Lucie Boulevard (application packet), while the department's applications page gives 772-871-5213 for questions and for the Planner of the Day (Planning and Zoning Applications, Fees and Guides). That page also routes planning and zoning applications through the online Development Application Review portal at fusion.cityofpsl.com and warns that the city does not accept payments by wire transfer.

Port St. Lucie reviews each application and approves or denies it, in whole or in part, against listed criteria such as the tree sitting in the buildable area, a right-of-way or easement, being a hazard, or being diseased (General Requirements for Tree Removal).

The Port St. Lucie criteria cover a tree within the net buildable area shown on the tree survey and site plan; within an existing or proposed right-of-way; within an easement or stormwater tract, counting only the minimum area reasonably needed; creating a safety or health hazard or nuisance for structures, vehicles or pedestrian routes with no reasonable alternative; interfering with utility service; confirmed diseased, severely injured or in danger of falling; or unreasonably preventing development (Tree Protection and Preservation page).

A Port St. Lucie permit is not granted where the applicant failed to design and locate improvements to minimize tree removal. For hazard claims, the Zoning Administrator or City Arborist may require a statement from a certified engineer or certified arborist in Florida, and the arborist or Zoning Administrator can confirm a diseased or failing tree (removal criteria).

Port St. Lucie requires mitigation of one inch of diameter for each inch removed, and removal without a permit may result in a citation, replacement at 3 to 1 and twice the normal application fee (Mitigation and Penalty).

Every row is from the Port St. Lucie tree page. During construction, Port St. Lucie lets retained trees substitute for required landscape trees when a tree preservation plan is part of the landscape plan, and a tree protection barrier must be placed around every tree to be preserved before any land preparation or construction begins.

Under section 163.045(2), a local government "may not require a notice, application, approval, permit, fee, or mitigation for the pruning, trimming, or removal of a tree on a residential property" in Port St. Lucie when the owner holds qualifying documentation (section 163.045).

For a Port St. Lucie owner, the condition in subsection (2) is that "the property owner possesses documentation from an arborist certified by the ISA or a Florida licensed landscape architect that the tree poses an unacceptable risk to persons or property." The statute defines documentation as "an onsite assessment performed in accordance with the tree risk assessment procedures outlined in Best Management Practices - Tree Risk Assessment, Second Edition (2017) by an arborist certified by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) or a Florida licensed landscape architect and signed by the certified arborist or licensed landscape architect" (section 163.045). "A tree poses an unacceptable risk if removal is the only means of practically mitigating its risk below moderate," as determined by those procedures. Residential property means "a single-family, detached building located on a lot that is actively used for single-family residential purposes and that is either a conforming use or a legally recognized nonconforming use in accordance with the local jurisdiction's applicable land development regulations." Subsection (3) says "A local government may not require a property owner to replant a tree that was pruned, trimmed, or removed in accordance with this section," and subsection (4) says the section "does not apply to the exercise of specifically delegated authority for mangrove protection pursuant to ss. 403.9321-403.9333."

An affected party with standing may appeal a Port St. Lucie Zoning Administrator tree decision to the Board of Zoning Appeals within 15 days, filing written notice with the City Clerk (Application for Tree Removal Permit).

Cut wood has limits at the Port St. Lucie curb. Yard waste pieces cannot exceed 6 inches in diameter, 4 feet in length or 50 pounds, collection is limited to 4 cubic yards per week, and the city lists a negotiated rate of $18.50 per cubic yard for additional pickups scheduled through 1PSL at 772-871-1775, as posted on October 22, 2026 (Yard Waste page). Monthly bulk pickup does not take tree limbs over 6 inches in diameter, root balls over 50 pounds or land clearing debris (Bulk Waste page).

Last verified: October 22, 2026, by re-reading the city tree protection page, the tree removal application packet, the Planning and Zoning applications page, section 163.045 and the yard and bulk waste pages.