# Land clearing and tree work in St. Augustine Shores, FL > Lot clearing and tree work in St. Augustine Shores: St. Johns County's tree-inch requirement, which trees count, exempt species, and well-drained Tavares sand. URL: https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/service-areas/st-augustine-shores/ St. Augustine Shores, St. Johns County Building on a wooded lot in St. Augustine Shores? The county counts tree inches, so every oak you keep saves planting later. We measure your keepers, take out the invasives first and clear the house site around the rest. ![Residential lot in St. Augustine Shores with oaks and pines kept while a house site is cleared](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/images/residential-lot-in-st-augustine-shores-with-oaks-and-pines-kept-while-a-house-site-is-cleared-800.webp) *Oaks and pines kept to count toward the tree-inch requirement.* **What changes a clearing job in St. Augustine Shores** - **2 in**: existing trees from this size, measured at 4.5 ft, may count toward the county's tree-inch requirement (St. Johns County Growth Management) - **50% native**: minimum share of native trees among those planted, with at least 70% canopy trees (St. Johns County Growth Management) Start with the land ## Which St. Augustine Shores job is this? 1. **Building on a wooded lot** The county's tree-inch minimum is met by keeping existing trees, planting new ones, or both. [Lot clearing](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/lot-clearing/) 2. **Trees that count toward the minimum** Existing trees of 2 inches and up may count, so keepers lower the planting bill. [Selective clearing](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/selective-clearing/) 3. **Invasive trees to remove** Camphor, Chinaberry, tallow, Brazilian pepper and other exempt species don't count and can come out. [Brush clearing](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/brush-clearing/) 4. **Stumps after removals** Ground below grade at the edges, pulled with roots under a slab. [Stump grinding](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/stump-grinding/) Services ## Clearing services for St. Augustine Shores land Keeping the good trees ### [Selective clearing](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/selective-clearing/) Brush and unwanted trees out around the oaks and pines you are keeping, with the keepers flagged before any machine arrives and the permit list in order. After the house permit ### [Lot clearing](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/lot-clearing/) A platted lot opened for the slab, driveway and utilities once the home permit is issued, with the keepers marked, silt fence up and the swale left clean. Below grade ### [Stump grinding](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/stump-grinding/) Stumps ground below grade in lawns, along driveways and in the yard, with a plain answer on when a stump has to come out whole instead. Palmetto and underbrush ### [Brush clearing](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/brush-clearing/) Saw palmetto, gallberry, wax myrtle and vines cut back to ground level, including the brush Palm Coast treats as a fire hazard beside a home. How the work runs ## How a St. Augustine Shores job usually runs 1. **County site plan** We check the tree-inch minimum for your zoning and any specimen trees the site plan has to show. 2. **Count the keepers** We measure the trees of 2 inches and up outside easements and wetlands and add up what they cover. 3. **Clearing** We remove the invasives and the trees in the footprint, fence the keepers and grub the footprint. 4. **Hand-off** We haul the debris and leave the lot ready for your builder and any required planting. Last Updated: November 8, 2026 St. Augustine Shores is an unincorporated community south of St. Augustine along US 1, about 19 miles north of Palm Coast. Because it sits outside any city, St. Johns County’s rules apply, not the City of St. Augustine’s 3-inch permit. [Sunward Palm Coast Land Clearing](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/) clears lots and handles tree and stump work here, and the county’s tree count shapes every plan we write. ## Why does the county care how many trees I keep? Because your site plan has to meet a minimum number of tree inches set by your lot’s zoning, if the lot isn’t already covered by an approved neighborhood site plan. Existing trees of 2 inches and up, measured at 4.5 feet, can count toward it, and specimen trees have to be shown on the plan. Anything short of the minimum gets made up by planting, and the new trees must be at least 70% canopy trees and at least 50% native. So the keep list is arithmetic. Every healthy oak or pine we keep outside the footprint adds inches; every one that comes down may have to be replaced. We measure each candidate at 4.5 feet and add it up before clearing, so you know how much planting, if any, the site plan will need. ## Which trees can come out without counting against me? Trees in easements and wetlands don’t count either way, and neither do the exempt species: camphor, Chinaberry, tallow, Brazilian pepper, mimosa, Australian pine, and queen and Washington palms. Those are the first trees we take down. Then we clear the footprint the way we handle [selective clearing](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/selective-clearing/): keepers flagged and fenced at the drip line, the house site cleared and grubbed, and stumps near keepers [ground below grade](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/stump-grinding/) instead of pulled, so we don’t tear the roots of the trees you’re counting on. ## Is the ground good for clearing? Usually, yes. Much of the community sits on moderately well drained fine sand that stays firm through more of the summer than the wet flatwoods farther south, so rain holds us up less here. Dry sand is also gopher tortoise ground, so we walk your lot for burrows first, and work within 25 feet of one needs an FWC permit. We haul the debris, since a pile burn can’t meet Florida’s 300-foot residential setback on a residential street, and the haul is part of the price. Under the slab, stumps and roots come out with the topsoil, the same as any [lot clearing](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/lot-clearing/) job. ## What should I have ready? The address, the site plan or survey if you have one, and photos of the trees you’d like to keep. Our [guide to what clearing includes](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/guide/what-is-included-in-land-clearing/) helps you compare estimates line by line, and our [grind or remove guide](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/guide/stump-grinding-vs-stump-removal/) explains which stumps come out and which get ground. Why the order matters ## How a St. Augustine Shores clearing is scoped ### Keepers count Every tree we keep that qualifies cuts what you'd have to plant to meet the county minimum. ### Invasives come out first Exempt species count for nothing, so we take them out first. Places, routes and the permit office ## St. Augustine Shores on the map ### Landmarks that matter to clearing - **St. Johns County Growth Management**: residential site plans and tree information - **US 1**: the main road along the community's west side ### Routes in - US 1 - SR 206 - I-95 ### Permit office St. Johns County Growth Management: residential site plans and the minimum tree-inch requirement for unincorporated lots. *St. Augustine Shores and its neighbors, plotted from each area's center-point coordinates. Not a parcel map; boundaries are not shown.* ## Clearing in St. Augustine Shores: questions ### What is St. Johns County's tree-inch requirement? Residential site plans for lots outside an approved neighborhood site plan must meet a minimum number of tree inches set by zoning. Existing trees of 2 inches and up, measured at 4.5 feet, may count, and specimen trees must be shown on the site plan. ### Which trees don't count in St. Johns County? Trees in easements or wetlands don't count, and exempt species such as camphor, Chinaberry, tallow, Brazilian pepper, mimosa, Australian pine and queen and Washington palms don't either. ### What does lot clearing cost in St. Augustine Shores? Our typical range for a quarter-acre lot is $800 to $3,000, set after we walk the lot. Any trees you plant to meet the county's tree-inch minimum are a separate cost, and keeping existing trees reduces it. ### Does the City of St. Augustine's permit apply in St. Augustine Shores? No. St. Augustine Shores is unincorporated, so St. Johns County's rules apply instead of the city's 3-inch permit. ### Is the ground in St. Augustine Shores dry enough to clear year round? A soil survey sample at the community's center point finds Tavares fine sand, moderately well drained, which stays workable through more of the rainy season than wet flatwoods. ## Nearby service areas - [**St. Augustine South**About 3 miles between center points](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/service-areas/st-augustine-south/) - [**St. Augustine**About 6 miles between center points](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/service-areas/st-augustine/) - [**St. Augustine Beach**About 3 miles between center points](https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/service-areas/st-augustine-beach/) Get a St. Augustine Shores clearing estimate Send the address, the site plan or survey, and photos of the trees you want to keep. [(386) 465-4658](tel:+13864654658) - **Mon-Fri**: 8am-6pm - **Sat-Sun**: 9am-2pm Outside these hours, emergency calls only. ## Contact Sunward Palm Coast Land Clearing - Phone: [(386) 465-4658](tel:+13864654658) - Email: [office@sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com](mailto:office@sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com) - Address: 18 Market Ave, Palm Coast, FL 32164 - Hours: Monday to Friday 8am-6pm, Saturday and Sunday 9am-2pm (America/New_York). Outside these hours, emergency calls only. - Request an estimate: https://sunwardpalmcoastlandclearing.com/contact/#estimate