Jupiter Inlet Colony, Florida · 33469
Estate Landscaping in Jupiter Inlet Colony
A small town at the southern tip of Jupiter Island, with the Atlantic on one side, the Loxahatchee River on the other, and a beach turtles use heavily.
Request a Property AssessmentJupiter Inlet Colony was incorporated in 1959 and covers about 0.18 square miles where dredged sand widened the southern tip of Jupiter Island, fronting both the Atlantic and the Loxahatchee River. That position sets the terms for every garden in town. Ocean lots take spray straight off the surf, the river side sees salt carried in through the inlet, and there is no inland buffer to soften either. A plant palette that thrives a few miles west in Jupiter will often thin out here within a season or two.
The beach carries unusual weight. The Town reports 2,558 sea turtle nests on its 0.9 miles of shoreline in the 2025 season, part of a 9.5-mile stretch monitored by Loggerhead Marinelife Center. For an owner, exterior lighting, dune vegetation and the timing of beach-side work are part of landscape planning from the first conversation. An assessment in the Colony starts with the lighting plan and the dune line as much as with the lawn and the palms.
The properties
Homes in the Colony sit on compact residential lots, and new construction is measured against Town limits on lot occupancy and lot coverage. A July 2026 staff report on a Lighthouse Drive house tested the design against a 50 percent occupancy maximum and a 32 percent coverage maximum. With that little open ground, every hedge, palm and bed is visible from the street, the river or the beach. Scale, salt tolerance and root space for palms set beside hardscape matter more here than planting volume.
On the ground
What landscapes in Jupiter Inlet Colony contend with
Salt from two directions
UF/IFAS advises that anything planted within about an eighth of a mile of saltwater should be at least somewhat salt tolerant, a bar every Colony garden fronting ocean, inlet or river has to clear. Seagrape carries a high aerosol salt rating in its UF/IFAS fact sheet and anchors exposed edges well. Salt-sensitive ornamentals belong in courtyards and on the lee side of the house, and exposed beds are replanted with tougher natives rather than refilled with the same plants that burned.
Palms short on potassium
Potassium deficiency shows first on a palm's oldest fronds, as translucent yellow spotting on some species and as tip necrosis on others such as royal palms. Those discolored fronds should stay on the palm until they are fully dead, because the tree draws potassium from them. Correction is slow and comes from a controlled-release palm fertilizer applied on schedule, not from cosmetic pruning.
Dune plants that shade the nesting beach
With nest counts this high, thinning oceanfront vegetation is never only a view question. State dune guidelines say beachfront vegetation removal must not increase artificial light visible from the beach, and that skid steers and other equipment on the beach or frontal dune should be scheduled outside nesting season. Seagrape trimming on Colony oceanfront lots is planned with the house lighting in mind and timed around the turtles.
Local rules
What Jupiter Inlet Colony requires
Summaries for planning. The linked source is the authority; rules change.
County sea turtle lighting permit
The Town sits inside the Palm Beach County sea turtle protection zone, where Article 14.A of the county Unified Land Development Code governs beachfront lighting and construction, residential properties included. According to the Town, a permit from county Environmental Resources Management is required whenever any light source in the zone is replaced or installed, so landscape and path lighting changes need to clear that step first.
SourceBuilding and Zoning Committee review
New construction and major renovations go before the Town's Building and Zoning Committee. Recent applications have included landscape, hardscape and drainage plans alongside the architecture, and gate, fence and wall locations are revised and clarified during review. Planting design for a new house is part of the review package, not something added after approval.
SourceNo landscaping on listed holidays
By Town ordinance, construction work and landscaping services are not allowed on a published list of holidays, including Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Maintenance calendars for Colony properties are built around those dates, and daily working hours are confirmed with Town Hall.
Source
Services in Jupiter Inlet Colony
- Estate Landscape MaintenanceMaintenance for Jupiter Inlet Colony properties
- Landscape Design & InstallationDesign for Jupiter Inlet Colony properties
- IrrigationIrrigation for Jupiter Inlet Colony properties
- Tree & Palm CareTrees & Palms for Jupiter Inlet Colony properties
- Outdoor LightingLighting for Jupiter Inlet Colony properties
- Sod, Hedges & Privacy ScreeningSod & Hedges for Jupiter Inlet Colony properties
- Seasonal ColorSeasonal Color for Jupiter Inlet Colony properties
- HOA & Property ManagementHOA for Jupiter Inlet Colony properties
Landscaping in Jupiter Inlet Colony: questions
Do I need a permit to change landscape lighting on a beachfront lot?
Very likely. The Town states that replacing or installing any light source inside the county's sea turtle protection zone requires a permit from Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management under ULDC Article 14.A. State guidance favors fully shielded fixtures with long-wavelength amber, orange or red lamps. Confirm the zone boundary for your lot before ordering fixtures.
Can the sea grapes on my oceanfront lot be trimmed?
Routine trimming, shearing and pruning that does not damage native dune plants is exempt from state coastal construction permits. Cutting dune plants down seaward of the coastal construction control line requires a state permit, and sea oats and seagrapes carry added protection under Florida law. Any trimming should be checked against house lights that could become visible from the beach.
When can landscape crews work in the Colony?
The Town bars construction work and landscaping services on a list of holidays that runs from New Year's Day through Christmas Day. The Town's published page lists the holidays but not daily hours, so regular start and stop times should be confirmed with Town Hall at 50 Colony Road before a maintenance schedule is set.
What should a landscape plan for a new Colony house account for?
Plans go to the Building and Zoning Committee with the architecture, hardscape and drainage drawings, and the house is measured against occupancy and coverage caps that leave limited planted ground. Good plans settle fences, gates and walls early, set salt-tolerant material on exposed sides, and coordinate exterior lighting with the county turtle permit.
Nearby estate towns
Sources for this page
- Incorporated 1959; about 0.18 sq mi; dredge-widened southern tip of Jupiter Island fronting the ocean and the Loxahatchee River: education.pbchistory.org
- 2,558 nests on the Town's 0.9 miles of beach in 2025; 9.5-mile stretch monitored by Loggerhead Marinelife Center; nesting March 1 to October 31, peak May through July: www.jupiterinletcolony.gov
- County ULDC Article 14.A governs beach lighting and construction; ERM permit needed to replace or install any light source in the Sea Turtle Protection Zone: www.jupiterinletcolony.gov
- 74 Lighthouse Drive staff report (B&Z Committee, July 21, 2026): 49.9% occupancy vs 50% max, 31.6% coverage vs 32% max; landscape, hardscape and drainage plans; revised gate, fence and wall locations: www.jupiterinletcolony.gov
- New construction and major renovations reviewed by the Building and Zoning Committee; Town Hall at 50 Colony Road: www.jupiterinletcolony.gov
- No construction work or landscaping services on listed holidays per Town ordinance: www.jupiterinletcolony.gov
- Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse (1860) at the junction of the Indian and Loxahatchee Rivers: www.jupiterlighthouse.org
- Plants within about one-eighth mile of saltwater should be at least somewhat salt tolerant: gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu
- Seagrape rated high for aerosol salt tolerance: edis.ifas.ufl.edu
- Potassium deficiency symptoms on oldest leaves; do not remove deficient fronds until fully dead; controlled-release palm fertilizer: edis.ifas.ufl.edu
- Deficient fronds serve as a supplementary potassium source and should stay until dead: edis.ifas.ufl.edu
- Vegetation removal must not increase light visible from the beach; equipment on beach or frontal dune scheduled outside nesting season; trimming exempt from CCCL permits; cutting dune plants seaward of CCCL needs a permit: floridadep.gov
- Sea oats and seagrapes protected under s. 161.242, F.S.: www.leg.state.fl.us
- Atlantic hurricane season June 1 to November 30: www.nhc.noaa.gov
- Shielded fixtures with long-wavelength amber, orange or red lamps: myfwc.com
Property assessment
Request an assessment in Jupiter Inlet Colony
- 01Tell us about the propertyTown, property type and what you'd like looked after. Two minutes.
- 02A partner walks the groundsTurf, beds, palms, irrigation and drainage, with you, your manager or staff.
- 03You receive a written programScope, visit schedule and price in writing, before any work begins.
Prefer to talk it through? (561) 319-1104