Town hall or county?
Malabar and Grant-Valkaria each keep their own code, so start with town hall for a tree removal there. Micco and Barefoot Bay, the manufactured-home community off U.S. 1, are unincorporated, which puts them under Brevard County's Chapter 62 tree rules (Brevard County Code s. 62-4337).
Barefoot Bay lots are small, so the lot-size exemption is the place to start there: s. 62-4334 exempts single-family lots of 1.25 acres or less with a certificate of occupancy from the county's canopy and preservation rules. Micco acreage, and vacant land especially, is a different case.
Gopher tortoises and the 25-foot line
Gopher tortoise burrows change the plan on any property that has them. The tortoise is a state-threatened species, and no one may take, harass or move one, or damage its burrow, without an FWC permit (FWC gopher tortoise rules).
FWC requires a permit before clearing, grading, digging or other site preparation within 25 feet of a potentially occupied burrow. Work that stays at least 25 feet from every burrow and tortoise needs no FWC permit (FWC gopher tortoise permits). Where a property has 10 or fewer burrows and can't keep that buffer, FWC offers a permit the landowner can get by finishing an e-learning course or by hiring an Authorized Gopher Tortoise Agent, and off-site relocation always takes an agent (FWC, 10 or Fewer Burrows permit).
This site doesn't arrange surveys or relocation. Point out any burrows when you describe the job, so the work can be planned around them.
Call 811 before the stump grinder
On acreage, buried lines aren't always where you'd guess. Sunshine 811 has to be notified at least two full business days before digging, not counting the day of the call, weekends or holidays, and its definition of digging includes grading, moving earth and scraping (Sunshine 811 FAQ). Grinding a stump below grade disturbs soil, so put the locate request in before the grinder arrives. Call 811.
Burning brush in the south county
Rural properties tend to pile brush, and burning it has rules. The Florida Forest Service allows yard waste burning without its authorization only when the pile fits within 8 feet or a noncombustible container, sits 25 feet from your house, woods and brush, 150 feet from other occupied buildings and 50 feet from paved public roads, is lit after 9 a.m. and is out an hour before sunset (Florida Forest Service). Local ordinances may still prohibit it.
Brevard also bans open burning automatically when the Keetch-Byram Drought Index average for the county reaches 500 or more, and lifts the ban when it falls below 450 (Brevard County Code s. 50-1). This site doesn't arrange burning. The crew you're matched with can chip or haul the debris instead.
Local rules worth knowing
Clearing, grading or digging within 25 feet of a potentially occupied gopher tortoise burrow needs an FWC permit first.
Source: FWC, Gopher tortoise permits
Sunshine 811 must be notified at least two full business days before digging, and digging includes grading and moving earth.
Source: Sunshine 811 FAQ
Open burning is automatically banned in Brevard when the Keetch-Byram Drought Index average reaches 500 or more.
Source: Brevard County Code s. 50-1
Questions people ask
Do Malabar and Grant-Valkaria follow county tree rules?
No. Both are incorporated towns with their own codes, so call town hall first. Micco and Barefoot Bay are unincorporated and follow county rules.
There's a tortoise burrow near the tree I want removed. What now?
If all the work stays at least 25 feet from the burrow, FWC doesn't require a permit. Closer than that, a permit comes first, through FWC's 10 or Fewer Burrows option or an Authorized Gopher Tortoise Agent.
Do I need to call 811 to grind a stump?
Grinding below grade disturbs soil, and Sunshine 811 counts grading and moving earth as digging. Calling at least two full business days ahead is the safe move.
Is there a burn ban right now?
The county ban kicks in automatically when the drought index average reaches 500. Check with the Florida Forest Service or the county before lighting anything.