Landscaping Rules in Daytona Beach, FL

If you live in Daytona Beach or are thinking about moving there, landscaping rules are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Daytona Beach has 4 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of landscaping rules, and some of them might surprise you.

Water Restrictions

Daytona Beach bans automatic and manual lawn irrigation between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., every day of the year, as its permanent base-level water conservation rule. Overspray onto sidewalks and driveways is separately prohibited, and every new irrigation system installed in the city must be a low-volume system.

Key details: Ban hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., every day. Applies to: Automatic and manual irrigation systems. Overspray: Prohibited onto sidewalks/driveways. New systems: Must be low-volume irrigation. Exemptions: New landscaping (30 days), reuse water, agriculture.

Watering landscaping between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., letting irrigation overspray onto pavement, or installing a non-low-volume system violates Section 98-139 and is enforceable under Section 98-143 through the general penalty in Section 1-14 or by the Code Enforcement Board under F.S. ch. 162. The city manager can also order water service disconnected under Section 98-144 after written notice and an appeal opportunity.

Rainwater Harvesting

Daytona Beach lets any property add an aboveground rainwater cistern as an accessory structure, but the Land Development Code fixes exactly where it can sit. Cisterns must sit directly beside the building they serve, stay out of required yards unless underground or under five feet tall, and cannot double as signage anywhere in the city.

Key details: Governing section: LDC § 5.3.C.22. Permitted districts: All 21 base zoning districts. Yard restriction: Barred unless underground or under 5 ft. Attachment rule: Must connect to a gutter system. Signage use: Prohibited.

Daytona Beach enforces Land Development Code violations under Section 10.4: City staff, the Code Enforcement Board, or a Special Magistrate can issue a civil citation carrying a $100 fine for a first violation and $250 for a repeat violation, with contested citations capped at $500 in county court. Unresolved violations can also draw a per-day administrative fine under Chapter 162, Florida Statutes, which becomes a lien against the property.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Daytona Beach gives residents more flexibility on rainwater harvesting.

Tree Removal & Heritage Trees

Removing a protected tree in Daytona Beach, including historic and specimen trees or vegetation counted toward required landscaping, requires a Tree Removal Permit before any land disturbance begins, under Land Development Code Section 3.4.L.

Key details: Permit required before: Any land disturbance or protected tree removal. Decision level: City staff, no public hearing. Approval standard: Must meet all Tree Preservation standards. Specimen tree replacement ratio: 2 caliper inches per 1 removed. Undetermined-extent penalty: 8 replacement trees per acre.

Removing, relocating, or substantially altering a protected tree without first securing a Tree Removal Permit, or acting outside the scope of an issued permit, triggers the Land Development Code's tree replacement and mitigation standards: violators must submit a restoration plan within two weeks of a stop-work notification, and replacement requires two caliper inches of new trees for every caliper inch of specimen tree removed or damaged, and one caliper inch for every caliper inch of tree canopy removed or damaged. Where the extent of an unlawful removal cannot be determined, eight replacement trees per acre of disturbed area are required instead.

Tree Trimming

No one may cut, trim, or remove a tree or shrub on Daytona Beach public property without prior city approval except in an emergency, under City Code § 86-201(a), and the city may itself prune private trees whose roots or limbs extend into a public street, sidewalk, or park.

Key details: Public tree trimming approval: required except emergencies, § 86-201(a). Private encroachment: city may prune limbs/roots over public ways, § 86-201(b). Administered by: parks manager, public works beautification division. Injurious substances banned: near city trees/plants, § 86-202. Penalty: up to $500 fine or 60 days jail.

Cutting, trimming, or removing a public-property tree without prior city approval, obstructing traffic with vegetation, or placing an injurious substance near a city tree is enforceable under the code's general penalty, § 1-14: a fine of up to $500, up to 60 days in jail, or both, with each day of a continuing violation a separate offense.

The Bottom Line

Daytona Beach's landscaping 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 Daytona Beach is broadly strict or permissive.

These rules come from Daytona Beach's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.