Start with town hall
Melbourne Beach and Indialantic are incorporated towns, and each sets its own tree rules. This page doesn't restate them. Call the town before a removal and ask what it needs from you. Have the species, a rough trunk diameter and a photo ready, and the conversation goes quickly.
South of town, the county threshold is tiny
Past the Melbourne Beach town line, places like Melbourne Shores and Floridana Beach are unincorporated, and Brevard County's code takes over. On the barrier island the county protects hardwoods and softwoods from just 1.5 inches dbh, compared with 10 inches for hardwoods and 14 for pines on the mainland (Brevard County Code s. 62-4332). A sapling-sized oak can count.
Built house lots get the same relief here as elsewhere in the unincorporated county. Under s. 62-4334, a single-family lot of 1.25 acres or less with a certificate of occupancy is exempt from canopy and preservation requirements while minimum landscaping is kept. Where the low threshold bites is a vacant beach lot being cleared to build.
Coastal surveys and dune-side invasives
Permitting near the Atlantic takes more paperwork. Brevard's Natural Resources Management office asks for a CCCL or CSL survey made within the last 180 days on Atlantic-coast properties (Brevard NRMO permitting tips).
Invasive removal changes near the beach too. Inside the Coastal Construction Setback Line, the county's exemption for removing nonnative invasives comes with conditions: hand-clearing, roots left in the ground and aquatic-approved herbicide (s. 62-4334). Brazilian pepper is the plant this usually involves, and UF/IFAS lists it as Category I and on the Florida Noxious Weed List (UF/IFAS).
River side, ocean side
The two sides of the island grow different trees. Older river-side streets carry live oaks and laurel oaks, while the ocean side leans toward palms and low sand live oak. In the UF/IFAS hurricane study, sand live oak and live oak both rated near the top for wind, and laurel oak near the bottom (UF/IFAS FR173).
A laurel oak over a roof on Riverside Drive deserves a check before the season peaks. UF/IFAS notes the species' trunks and large limbs often hollow from decay (UF/IFAS ST549).
Local rules worth knowing
On the unincorporated barrier island, the county protects hardwoods and softwoods from 1.5 inches dbh.
Source: Brevard County Code s. 62-4332
Atlantic-coast properties need a CCCL/CSL survey made within the last 180 days for county permitting.
Inside the Coastal Construction Setback Line, invasive removal requires hand-clearing, leaving roots in the ground and aquatic-approved herbicide.
Source: Brevard County Code s. 62-4334
Questions people ask
Which rules apply to my lot on the south beaches?
If you're outside the Melbourne Beach town limits, county code. On the barrier island the county protects trees from 1.5 inches dbh, though a single-family lot of 1.25 acres or less with a certificate of occupancy is exempt from the canopy and preservation rules.
Can I pull Brazilian pepper out near the dune?
In unincorporated areas, inside the Coastal Construction Setback Line, the county requires hand-clearing, leaving roots in the ground and aquatic-approved herbicide. Inside town limits, ask the town.
Who do I ask in Indialantic or Melbourne Beach?
Town hall. Each town keeps its own code and its own permit process.