Melbourne 2026 Tree Mitigation Cap Could Save 50+ Acre Projects Millions
Updated: Oct 17
Melbourne City Council passed Resolution No. 4403 on February 10, 2026, adding a maximum tree removal permit fee by parcel acreage to the city's land alteration permit fees. The vote was unanimous, with one member absent, according to the council minutes. The staff report says the change took effect February 11, 2026 and applies to projects under review that had not yet been issued a tree removal permit.
The Melbourne Tree Removal Fee Caps
The resolution sets these maximums, per the February 10 agenda packet:
2.5 acre parcel or less, single family residential zoned AEU or REU: $5,000
5 acre parcel or less: $12,500
10 acre parcel or less: $25,000
20 acre parcel or less: $50,000
50 acre parcel or less: $125,000
100 acre parcel or less: $200,000
Over 100 acre parcel: $400,000
Before April 2025 the city charged $10 per tree, up to $1,000 per parcel, a schedule that had not changed in over 30 years. Resolution 4339 that April moved to a per-inch schedule: $100 per dbh-inch on sites under 1 acre, $125 on 1 to 5 acres, and $150 above 5 acres, with no maximum. Staff told the council that total fees for a large, heavily treed parcel could exceed several million dollars, and that some small infill parcels were getting high estimates.
Resolution 4403 sets all tree removal fees at $100 per dbh-inch, adds the maximums above, charges the maximum when trees are removed before a permit and fees are obtained, and removes underbrush clearing fees other than the $100 application fee. The staff report lists a potential loss of revenue as the budget impact.
Tree Removal Fees in Nearby Cities
Titusville: $55 plus $20 per tree, under its Class I site development permit fees, per the city's fee structure.
Cocoa: $15 per tree or $200 per acre when the removal is not part of a site plan, per the city's planning fee schedule.
West Melbourne: $250 for the first acre plus $750 for each additional acre, plus a tree bank reserve fund fee of $150, $175 or $200 per inch depending on parcel size, per the city's tree and land clearing application.
See commercial land in Brevard County and commercial valuation and BPO services. For a development site in Melbourne, call 321-514-0876 or use the contact page.
Sources
City of Melbourne, February 10, 2026 council agenda packet, item C.22, Resolution No. 4403: the fee tiers, the prior schedules, the effective date, the scope, and the staff findings.
City of Melbourne, minutes of the February 10, 2026 regular council meeting: the vote.
City of Titusville fee structure, City of Cocoa planning and zoning fee schedule, and City of West Melbourne tree and land clearing application: the neighboring fees.
Written by Cassandra Hartford, founder and CEO of Reach Commercial Real Estate. She has worked in Brevard County commercial real estate for 17 years, representing buyers, sellers, landlords, and tenants across Florida's Space Coast.
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