Native Plants

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Tuesday - December 02, 2014

From: Chicago, IL
Region: Midwest
Topic: Plant Laws
Title: Inspection of house plants moving to Florida
Answered by: Guy Thompson

QUESTION:

Hi. I am hoping to move from Chicago to Florida any month at this time. I have a collection of house plants, does anyone know where I can get them inspected and certified so they'll be allowed into Florida?

ANSWER:

Yes, your plants need to be inspected. The information given below is from a previous Mr. Smarty Plants answer.

There are no laws forbidding transport of houseplants into Florida (unless they happen to be citrus plants), but they do require houseplants to have a certification of inspection before entering Florida. You should contact the New York Department of Agriculture & Markets Division of Plant Industry to see if they have or can tell you where to find an inspection and certification service for your houseplants. If you aren't able to find an inspector, you will have to provide your address in Florida for a followup inspection once you are there should it be needed. You can see a Summary of Florida Plant Protection Regulations on the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services Division of Plant Industry page. Also, there is an expanded version. You can also visit the National Plant Board Laws and Regulation page to find the regulations for each state. It might be wise to check the regulations for the states you will traveling through on your way to Florida. Rossiter Relocation Service has a useful site with recommendations and requirements for moving plants from state to state and there is another set of recommendations from Holman Moving