Where the wooded lots are
Palm Bay was laid out long ago as a grid of small lots, and it filled in unevenly. The older streets near Palm Bay Road and Port Malabar Boulevard are mostly houses now, with an empty lot here and there. South of Malabar Road and west of Babcock Street, whole blocks are still saw palmetto under slash pine.
Plenty of these lots belong to owners who live out of state. The Port Malabar lot page covers getting one ready from a distance.
Two permits, two different jobs
Palm Bay separates clearing from grubbing. The clearing permit is the one for taking out trees and vegetation. Every land clearing job on a residential lot smaller than 1 acre needs it, as does cutting down a tree once its diameter at breast height reaches 6 inches (Palm Bay Code s. 175.014).
A grubbing permit covers taking out underbrush by hand clearing, roto-chopping or mulching in place. It does not allow scraping, filling or removing protected trees, and single- and two-family sites under 1 acre are exempt from it (s. 175.015).
Clearing for a house
If a single- or two-family lot under 1 acre is being cleared for development, Palm Bay expects a building permit already under review, with its number on the clearing application. Plan the order: house plans and builder first, then clearing. The lot clearing page covers what a build-ready lot usually includes.
Reasons the city accepts for taking a tree
Section 175.003 lists the reasons a tree may be removed: it's a hazard, it's diseased, it's a Class I invasive on the Florida Invasive Species Council list, it has fallen or been weakened by age, storm or fire, it's damaging property, or construction needs the space, which can include an equipment access path as wide as 10 feet (Palm Bay Code s. 175.003).
So the site sketch carries weight. A sketch that keeps the big pines outside the slab, driveway and one access lane reads very differently from one that takes every tree.
Scrub-jay country
The Florida scrub-jay is federally threatened. It lives in sand pine and xeric oak scrub and in scrubby flatwoods, and FWC reports a 90% population decline over the past century (FWC scrub-jay profile). Parts of Palm Bay look like that: bright white sand, low scrubby oaks, very little shade.
Clearing house lots in jay habitat here has run through federal permits. A 2006 Federal Register notice on incidental take permits covered two Palm Bay home lots with about 0.48 acre of foraging habitat, within 438 feet of spots where scrub-jays had been seen (Federal Register, May 11, 2006). The scrub-jay guide goes further.
If a lot gets cleared without a permit
Palm Bay can issue a stop-work order or violation notice to the owner, contractor or agent, with one week to apply at double the fee. A restoration plan can require replanting native canopy trees for the specimen trees that were removed. Confirm the permit is in hand before a machine shows up.
Local rules worth knowing
Residential lots under 1 acre need a permit for any land clearing. So does removing a tree of 6 inches or more in diameter at breast height, or a palm showing 4.5 feet or more of clear wood.
Source: Palm Bay Code s. 175.014
To apply you pay a fee and supply the recorded deed, a signed hold-harmless agreement, a site sketch of every tree, and an authorization letter if someone other than the owner applies. Review takes 7 days.
Source: Palm Bay Code s. 175.014
A 2006 federal notice covered incidental take permit applications for clearing single-family Palm Bay lots that hold Florida scrub-jay habitat.
Questions people ask
Is my Palm Bay lot a scrub-jay lot?
Some Palm Bay lots hold Florida scrub-jay habitat, a federally threatened bird, and clearing them has needed federal permits. Check with the city before clearing a lot with bright white sand and low scrubby oaks. The scrub-jay guide covers it.
Do I need a permit just to clear underbrush?
Underbrush removal falls under Palm Bay's grubbing permit, and single- and two-family sites under 1 acre are exempt from that permit. Clearing trees is a separate question. Confirm with the city for your lot.
How long does Palm Bay take to review a clearing application?
Seven days, under s. 175.014. Build that week into the schedule before booking a crew.
Can Brazilian pepper come out of a Palm Bay lot?
Usually, with the city's sign-off. Class I invasives are one of the accepted reasons for removal in s. 175.003, and s. 175.014 exempts prohibited species after city approval. Large stands come back from cut stumps unless they're treated (UF/IFAS). See Brazilian pepper removal.
Last reviewed October 7, 2026. General information, not legal or professional advice. Check the linked sources for the current rules.