Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Jupiter?

Section 26-35(b) of the Town of Jupiter Code makes it unlawful for any person to remove trees or vegetation, or to otherwise clear off any land within the town, without first obtaining a vegetation removal permit from the department of planning and zoning. The section applies to property carrying designated specimen or historic vegetation, to all vacant and undeveloped property and property with no permanent buildings, and to all property containing permanent structures or redeveloped property.

Tree Removal Permits in Jupiter

Q: Why will Jupiter not issue a vegetation removal permit yet?

Section 26-39 provides that a vegetation removal permit shall not be issued unless development or use of the subject property is expected to begin within 90 days, shown either by a complete building permit application the town has accepted or by other evidence that town staff finds clearly indicates an intent to begin within 90 days. Land cannot be cleared in Jupiter in advance of a project, so the clearing follows the building permit application rather than precedes it.

Q: What is a specimen tree in Jupiter?

Under Section 26-122 a specimen tree in Jupiter is one that has been designated by the town council, following a recommendation from the planning and zoning commission, to be of high value because of its type, size, age or other relevant criteria. Historic trees are designated the same way, on a recommendation from the historic resources board, with public hearings and notice to the owner in both cases. Removal of either requires a finding by the town council that the tree is a hazard or that it is not economically or practically feasible to develop the parcel without removing it.

Under Section 26-39, Jupiter will not issue a vegetation removal permit unless development or use of the property is expected to begin within 90 days, shown either by a complete building permit application the town has accepted or by other evidence town staff finds clear. Land cannot be cleared in Jupiter ahead of a project. TWQ Landscaping prepares and files these applications, and our ISA Certified Arborist (NY-6948A) produces the supporting report where one is required.

Does This Apply to Your Property?

Section 26-35 reaches property carrying designated specimen or historic vegetation, all vacant and undeveloped property and property with no permanent buildings, and all property containing permanent structures or redeveloped property. That last category puts ordinary developed lots in scope, so association common areas, condominium parcels, commercial sites and institutional campuses are read against the same section. The two Palm Beach County articles we read do not create a general permit to remove an ordinary tree, so on a removal in Jupiter the town rule is the one that governs. A separate county obligation does reach inside city limits: the countywide invasive non-native vegetation ordinance applies in incorporated areas except where a municipal ordinance conflicts, and our Palm Beach County guide sets out what it requires.

Section 26-4(3) exempts single-family and duplex parcels from the environmental preservation regulations, subject to five carve-outs. One reaches association and subdivision work: street trees, and trees or landscaping required as part of a site or landscape plan approval, stay regulated on an otherwise exempt parcel. Historic and specimen trees stay protected as well.

What Needs a Permit

Section 26-35(b) makes it unlawful for any person to remove trees or vegetation, or to otherwise clear off any land within the town by stripping off, destroying or removing the natural foliage, without first obtaining a vegetation removal permit from the department of planning and zoning. The subsection names tractors, bulldozers, drag lines, scrapers and other heavy earth-moving equipment, then closes with the phrase that catches the rest: or by any other means.

Section 26-121 names vegetation that must be preserved, not merely permitted. Listed natives, including Laurel Oak, Live Oak, Sand Pine, Sea Grape, Gumbo Limbo, Mahogany and Turkey Oak, are preserved at a caliper of four inches or greater, measured four and one-half feet above existing grade. Cypress and Green buttonwood are preserved at four inches, Dahoon and Myrsine at two. So are significant groupings of native trees, trees adjacent to public rights-of-way, and any tree with a diameter at breast height of 28 inches or greater.

Under Section 26-122, a specimen tree in Jupiter is one the town council has designated, on a recommendation from the planning and zoning commission, as being of high value for its type, size or age. Historic trees are designated the same way, on a recommendation from the historic resources board. Removing either takes a finding by the town council that the tree is a hazard or that developing the parcel without removing it is not economically or practically feasible, decided within 30 days at a public hearing.

Section 26-35(d) provides a separate route for a hazard. Where a tree is determined to be hazardous, or in a condition so as to endanger the health, safety and welfare of the general public, the department of planning and zoning may give verbal authorization for removal without a written permit. Record who gave it and the time, because the authorization is verbal and the record is yours to keep.

What It Costs

The number to plan around is the escrow deposit rather than the application fee. Section 26-38(c) lets the town hire a qualified specialist at the expense of the applicant, and where it does, the applicant deposits up to $2,500.00 into an escrow account for that consultant to review the assessment report. All remaining funds are returned once the review is complete, and a well-prepared assessment report is the way to avoid triggering it.

Application fees are on file in the office of the town clerk and are paid at the time of application, so we confirm the current figure with the town before quoting. Where trees cannot be preserved on site, relocated within the site, or mitigated with replacement trees, Section 26-121 requires a contribution of $450.00.

What Happens If It Is Done Without a Permit

Section 26-35(c) puts the obligation on the contractor directly. It is unlawful for a licensed tree surgeon, service company, landscape contractor or general contractor to remove or clear any vegetation covered by the section without first having in its possession a proper permit. On violation, the town council may, after investigation by staff and a recommendation from the town manager, revoke or suspend the town business tax receipt.

At the discretion of the department, a tree pruned in excess of the standards is either replaced under Section 26-121 or made subject to corrective pruning by a certified arborist. Vegetation that expires as a result of relocation or of construction activities on site is replaced with similar species within 30 days. On the maintenance standards, the responsible party has 30 calendar days from written notice of noncompliance, sent by certified mail, to rectify, after which the department initiates code enforcement citation action.

What to Check With Your Contractor

Ask to see the permit itself before a crew starts, since Section 26-35(c) requires the contractor to hold it. Then settle who carries the maintenance obligation, because Section 23-97 makes the owner, the tenant and his agent jointly and severally responsible for the continued regular maintenance of all landscaping materials. Agent reaches the landscape contractor, and jointly and severally means the town can pursue any one of them for the whole obligation.

Jupiter adopts the ANSI A300 standards for pruning, with the exception of section 2.3.1, which requires that pruning be performed only by arborists or arborist trainees. A maximum of one-fourth of a tree canopy may be removed within a one-year period, and only by crown cleaning, crown thinning, crown raising, vista pruning or crown restoration. Hat racking, defined as cutting back limbs larger than one inch in diameter between branch collars or buds, is prohibited.

Section 23-97 sets figures a property manager can check on site. Turf and weeds may not exceed six inches in height on developed nonresidential areas, eight inches on developed residential areas, and 12 inches on vacant undeveloped property. Canopy overhanging a right-of-way stays clear from the ground to eight feet six inches over sidewalks and drainage areas, and to 13 feet six inches over public alleys, streets and highways.

What to Do Next

Section 26-36 requires the application to identify every tree by type, meaning planted, street or naturally occurring, by species, and by diameter at breast height. Three things then settle a Jupiter job before it is scheduled: whether development is expected to begin within 90 days, whether any tree in scope carries a designation, since size alone will not tell you, and what the assessment report has to cover. A denial can be appealed to the town council.

We settle those before quoting: identify the trees, prepare the arborist report where one is called for, time the filing against the building permit application, file the permit, and handle replacement planting where mitigation applies. TWQ Landscaping handles tree permitting for the properties we maintain across Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade: community associations and condominiums, cooperative and master associations, commercial and industrial sites, medical and senior living campuses, schools, religious campuses, hotels, multifamily rental, self-storage, dealerships, retail outparcels, marinas, mobile home and RV parks, cemeteries, municipal grounds and mixed-use. Call (954) 583-4752 or request a proposal.

The information presented on this page was accurate as of 23 August 2026.

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