South Bay is located in Orange County, FL which requires homeowners to follow zoning ordinances regarding trees on their property as well as the South Bay HOA common grounds.
The beauty and value of your home and our neighborhood depend on these large trees in our area.
The South Bay HOA urges all homeowners to replant Orange County approved recommended stock list trees as shown below if their lot does not adhere to the approved recommended minimum tree limit for square footage OR when a homeowner removes a tree due to age, disease or hazard which is also listed below.
Orange County Tree Zoning Ordinance References
General Zoning Ordinance
Residential lot trees shall mean trees that are required to be planted on residential lots per section 15-306. These trees are required to be a minimum of eight (8) feet tall and have a minimum caliper of two (2) inches and are to be selected from the recommended stock list in section 15-283(a).
Specific Zoning Ordinance
Sec. 15-306. – Residential lot trees (minimum trees required per lot). Prior to issuance of the certificate of occupancy, each residential lot shall contain at least the following minimum number of residential lot trees. These trees must be a minimum of eight (8) feet in height and at least two (2) inches in caliper. These trees may count toward replacement requirements if they are at least ten (10) feet in height and are at least three (3) inches in caliper. They must be selected from the recommended stock list. Replacement trees used on lots and preserved trees can count toward this requirement. Understory trees may make up to twenty-five (25) percent of the required number of trees:
- (1)Lots less than 5,000 square feet shall contain a minimum of one (1) tree.
- (2)Lot 5,000 to 7,999 square feet shall contain a minimum of two (2) trees.
- (3)Lots 8,000 to 11,999 square feet shall contain a minimum of four (4) trees.
- (4)Lots 12,000 to 19,999 square feet shall contain a minimum of five (5) trees.
- (5)Lots 20,000 square feet or greater shall contain a minimum of six (6) trees.
(Ord. No. 2001-19, § 14, 11-6-01)
Recommended Trees For Use “Recommended Stock”
Sec. 15-283. – Recommended, replacement, restricted, and specimen trees.
(a) Recommended stock. The following tree replacement species are suggested because they are native to the region and/or their proven performance in Central Florida. The following trees may be used as replacement stock without prior approval. All other replacement trees must be approved by the zoning manager. EXPAND
| Botanical Name | Common Name | C/U (Canopy or Understory) |
| Acer rubrum | Red maple | C |
| Aesculus pavia | Red buckeye | U |
| Betula Nigra | River Birch | U |
| Carya floridana | Scrub hickory | C |
| Carya glabra | Pignut hickory | C |
| Carya glabra negacarpa | Coast pignut hickory | U |
| Carya illinoinensis | Pecan | C |
| Cercis canadensis | Red Bud | U |
| Chionanthus virginicus | Fringe Tree | C |
| Cornus florida | Flowering dogwood | U |
| Cornus foemina | Swamp dogwood | U |
| Fraxinus pennsylvanica | Green Ash | C |
| Gordonia Lasianthus | Loblolly bay | U |
| Ilex cassine | Dahoon holly | U |
| Ilex opaca | American holly | U |
| Juniperus virginiana | Southern red cedar | C |
| Lagerstroemia indica | Crepe Myrtle | U |
| Ligustrum japonicum | Ligustrum | U |
| Liquidambar styraciflua | Sweet gum | C |
| Liriodendron tulipfera | Tulip tree | U |
| Magnolia grandiflora | Southern magnolia | C |
| Magnolia virginiana | Sweet bay | U |
| Nyssa sylvatica | Black Gum | C |
| Osmanthus americanus | Wild olive-Devilwood | U |
| Persea borbonia | Red bay | U |
| Pinus elliotti | Slash Pine | C |
| Pinus palustris | Long Leaf Pine | C |
| Pinus taeda | Loblolly Pine | C |
| Platanus occidentalis | Sycamore | C |
| Prunus angustifolia | Chickasaw plum | U |
| Quercus falcata | Southern Red Oak | C |
| Quercus geminata | Sand live oak | C |
| Quercus incana | Blackjack oak | U |
| Quercus inopina | Scrub oak | U |
| Quercus laevis | Turkey oak | C |
| Quercus Laurifoilia | Laurel oak | C |
| Quercus michauxii | Swamp Chestnut Oak | C |
| Quercus myrtifolia | Myrtle oak | U |
| Quercus nigra | Water oak | C |
| Quercus shumardii | Spanish oak; Shumard Oak | C |
| Quercus virginiana | Live oak | C |
| Sabal Palmetto | Sabal or Cabbage Palm | U |
| Taxodium ascendens | Pond cypress | C |
| Taxodium distichum | Bald cypress | C |
| Ulmus alata | Winged elm; Cork elm | C |
| Ulmus parvifolia | Chinese Elm | C |
(b)
Restricted stock. The following trees may not be used as replacement stock within the unincorporated areas of the county due to their exotic invasive nature or otherwise undesirable characteristics: (Also includes all plants listed on the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council list, categories I and II.) EXPAND
| Botanical Name | Common Name |
| Albizzia julibrissin | Mimosa |
| Broussonetia papyrifora | Paper mulberry |
| Casuarina species | Australian pine |
| Enterlobium contortisliquum | Ear tree |
| Eucalyptus camuldulensis | Cama eucalyptus |
| Grevillea robusta | Silk oak |
| Jacaranda acutifolia | Jacaranda |
| Leucaena species | Lead tree |
| Melaleuca species | Cajeput or punk tree |
| Melia azedarch | Chinaberry |
| Sapium sebiferum | Chinese tallow tree |
| Schinus terebinthifolius | Florida holly or Brazilian pepper |
| Terminalia catappa | Tropical Almond |