Hollywood's Environmental Rules: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles environmental rules a little differently. In Hollywood, Florida, there are 5 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Boat Dock Permits

Building a private boat dock on Hollywood city property requires a lease agreement with the city plus a building permit from the Department of Development Services, with an annual license fee set by City Commission resolution. Leases run four years and unpaid fees trigger removal.

Key details: Lease required first: With the City, per § 98.050. Permit issuer: Dept. of Development Services. Lease term: 4 years, renewable. Fee basis: Set by City Commission resolution. Noncompliance result: Immediate removal, treated as trespass.

Under § 98.053, failing to fully comply with the Private Boat Docks subchapter, including nonpayment of the lease fee, subjects the dock to immediate removal from city property; the unauthorized use is treated as a trespass that the Police Department may summarily remove. Docks on North Lake or South Lake built without the § 98.029 permit instead face a mandatory $50 fine under § 98.999(C), and continued noncompliance there leads to removal of the dock after notice.

This is one of the stricter rules in Hollywood's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Stormwater Management

Hollywood runs a citywide Stormwater Management Utility under Chapter 54, charging every lot a fee based on impervious area and banning illicit discharges into storm drains, canals and surface waters. Construction and industrial sites must control runoff pollutants, and the city fines violators a minimum of $500 per offense.

Key details: Stormwater fee basis: Impervious area, measured in ERUs. Minimum penalty: $500 per offense under § 54.33. Ongoing violations: Each day counts as a separate offense. Unpaid fee status: Becomes a property lien after 30 days. Illicit discharge ban: Hollywood Code § 54.23.

Under § 54.33, any violation of Chapter 54's discharge provisions draws a minimum penalty of $500 per offense, plus the full cost of cleanup, remediation and enforcement, and the city can add further charges based on the extent of environmental damage. Each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense, so penalties compound daily until the discharge is corrected.

Flood Elevation Requirements

New and substantially improved residential buildings in Hollywood must elevate the lowest floor at least 18 inches above the crown of the adjacent street, and nonresidential buildings at least six inches, on top of whatever the Florida Building Code's base flood elevation requires.

Key details: Governing section: Hollywood Code § 154.50(C)(1). Residential freeboard: 18 in. above street crown. Nonresidential freeboard: 6 in. above street crown. Accessory structure limit: 600 sq ft (100 sq ft in V-zones). Equipment elevation: BFE plus 1 foot.

A building lacking documentation of its lowest-floor elevation is presumed to be in violation under § 154.08 until the owner supplies it, and the Floodplain Administrator can issue a notice of violation or stop work order; continuing work after either is served carries the Code's general penalty under § 10.99, up to a $500 fine or 60 days imprisonment, with each day treated as a separate offense.

Erosion Control

Hollywood requires every site plan application to include an erosion and sediment control plan built to Florida Department of Environmental Protection best-management-practice standards before the Development Review Committee will process it. The requirement sits inside the drainage plan submittal for site plan review under the city's Land Development Code.

Key details: Governing section: Hollywood Code of Ordinances § 6.22.C.12.i. Required standard: FDEP Best Management Practices. Measures named: Perimeter silt fence, washdown areas, inlet protection. Reviewing body: Development Review Committee. Submitted with: Drainage plan, site plan application.

There is no separate fine schedule for the erosion-control line item itself: it is enforced by rejecting an incomplete site plan application. If the Division of Planning and Urban Design finds the drainage plan submittal deficient, the applicant must supply the missing erosion and sediment control information before the Development Review Committee will advance the application, and site plan approval, and any later building permit under § 6.25, is withheld until the drainage plan package is complete.

Flood Zones

Any development in a Hollywood flood hazard area, from grading and utility work to buildings exempt from the Florida Building Code, needs a floodplain development permit from the Floodplain Administrator before work starts, under Chapter 154 of the Code of Ordinances.

Key details: Governing chapter: Hollywood Code Ch. 154. Floodplain Administrator: Director, Dept. of Public Utilities. Flood map basis: 2014 Broward County FIS/FIRM. Permit expiration: 180 days if work not started. Appeals: Variance/appeal under § 154.07.

Section 154.08 deems any regulated development performed without a permit, in conflict with an issued permit, or otherwise noncompliant a violation; a building lacking documentation of its lowest-floor elevation or other required certifications is presumed to be in violation until that documentation is produced. The Floodplain Administrator can issue a notice of violation or a stop work order, and continuing work after either is served exposes the responsible person to penalties under the Code's general penalty section, § 10.99, up to a $500 fine or 60 days imprisonment, with each day a separate offense.

The Bottom Line

Hollywood's environmental rules rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Hollywood is broadly strict or permissive.

Keep in mind that Hollywood can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.