Landscaping Rules in Doral, FL

Doral maintains 136 local ordinances across all categories, and 7 of those deal specifically with landscaping rules. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Doral falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Native Plants

Doral encourages Florida-Friendly landscaping and native plant use through its Land Development Code landscaping requirements. New development must meet minimum landscape standards that favor drought-tolerant and native species. Florida law protects homeowners' rights to install Florida-Friendly landscapes even in HOA communities.

Key details: State Protection: F.S. 373.185 Florida-Friendly Landscaping. HOA Rights: Cannot prohibit FL-Friendly landscapes. Invasive Species: FLEPPC listed plants prohibited. Native Species Encouraged: Live oak, gumbo limbo, sabal palm. Code Compliance: (305) 593-6740.

Landscaping violations are enforced by Code Compliance at (305) 593-6740. Failure to meet minimum landscaping requirements for new development may result in denial of certificates of occupancy. HOAs that prohibit Florida-Friendly landscapes may face legal challenges under F.S. 373.185.

Weed Ordinances

Doral caps grass and lawn height at eight inches on improved property under Section 20-53(1) and limits weed infestation or bare patches to no more than 25 percent of any grass or ground-cover area. Owners must also water, mow, and trim landscaping regularly to keep it healthy and attractive under the same maintenance-standards section.

Key details: Max grass/lawn height: 8 inches (§20-53(1)). Max weed/bare coverage: 25% of area (§20-53(3)). Ground cover rule: Uniform type, weed-free (§20-53(2)). Enforcement: Code compliance division (§20-55). Applies to: Improved/landscaped property citywide.

Violations of the eight-inch grass limit or the 25 percent weed-coverage threshold are enforced by the code compliance division under Section 20-55, which applies the city's general code compliance ordinance and procedures. That framework, used across the Land Development Code, runs through a notice of violation, a right to an administrative hearing before a special magistrate, and civil fines that can become a lien on the property if left unpaid.

Tree Trimming

Doral property owners must maintain the landscaping on the right-of-way strip in front of their lots, and Section 20-53(4) caps hedges running parallel to property lines at 14 feet. The same subsection sends actual tree removal to Miami-Dade County's tree code and requires dead, damaged, or diseased trees to be removed or treated.

Key details: Max hedge height, parallel to lot line: 14 feet (§20-53(4)a). Right-of-way landscaping upkeep: Owner's responsibility. Tree removal authority: Miami-Dade County Code, not city. Dead/diseased trees: Must be removed or treated (§20-53(4)c). Citywide pruning standard: ANSI A300, max 1/3 canopy/year (§71-8).

Section 20-55 places enforcement of the landscape article with the code compliance division under the city's general code compliance ordinance; there is no separate dollar fine written into Section 20-53 itself. Removing a tree without the Miami-Dade County permit required by Section 71-5 is a separate violation enforced by the county's Department of Environmental Resources Management, independent of any city code compliance action for hedge height or right-of-way upkeep.

Tree Removal & Heritage Trees

No tree, specimen tree, or vegetation in a natural forest community can be removed in Doral without a permit issued under Miami-Dade County Code section 24-60. Section 71-5 hands enforcement to the county's department of environmental resources management (DERM), not city hall, even though the requirement is written into Doral's own Land Development Code.

Key details: Permit required: Before removing any tree, specimen tree, or forest vegetation. Enforcing agency: Miami-Dade DERM under County Code §24-60. Vegetation survey: Required in landscape plan (§71-4(c)). Preservation standard: Maximum extent possible (§71-243, county §24-50). Penalty: Up to $500 fine or 60 days jail, per day.

Section 71-12(c) treats failure to preserve or maintain any individual tree required by this chapter as a separate violation of the Land Development Code, with each day of noncompliance counted as its own continuing violation. Because Chapter 71 does not set its own fine schedule, Doral's general penalty in section 1-14 governs: up to a $500 fine, up to 60 days in jail, or both, on conviction.

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

Water Restrictions

Doral bans landscape irrigation between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. daily year-round and assigns fixed watering days by street address: even-numbered addresses water Thursday and/or Sunday, odd-numbered addresses water Wednesday and/or Saturday. A first violation draws a written warning; repeat violations carry fines up to $500 and possible jail time.

Key details: Daily watering ban: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.. Even addresses: Water Thursday and/or Sunday. Odd addresses: Water Wednesday and/or Saturday. First violation: Written warning only. Repeat fines: Up to $250, then $500.

A first landscape-irrigation violation draws a written warning under Sec. 47-78(e), limited to one warning total. A second violation carries a fine up to $250.00, a third up to $500.00, and a fourth or later violation up to $500.00 and/or up to 60 days in the county jail, with each violating day treated as a separate offense enforceable by police and code inspectors.

Artificial Turf

Doral allows artificial turf in single-family and MF-1 yards, parks, and schools, but only with both homeowner association and city approval. Installation must be lead-free, fully pervious, free of rubber infill except at institutional playgrounds and athletic fields, and plastic or nylon carpet substitutes are banned outright.

Key details: Where allowed: SF and MF-1 districts, parks, schools. Approval needed: Both HOA and city approval required. Right-of-way turf: Needs separate Public Works permit. Rubber infill: Banned except institutional playgrounds/fields. Material rules: Must be lead-free; plastic/nylon carpet banned.

Installing turf without required homeowner association or city approval, or without the necessary building or right-of-way permit, violates sections 71-225 and 71-226, treated under section 71-12(c) as a Land Development Code violation with each day of noncompliance a separate offense. Turf that falls into disrepair must be replaced under section 71-227(7), and Doral's general penalty of up to a $500 fine or 60 days in jail applies under section 1-14 where the chapter sets no specific fine.

Rainwater Harvesting

Doral allows every building, new or existing, to add rainwater harvesting facilities like cisterns and rain barrels. Sec. 74-871 also lets the Planning and Zoning Director approve extra setback encroachment, up to 50 percent of the side setback and to within five feet of the rear property line, when a facility needs the room.

Key details: What's allowed: Cisterns and rain barrels on any building (Sec. 74-871). Retrofits: Existing buildings may add facilities after the fact. Side setback relief: Encroachment up to 50 percent allowed with approval. Rear setback relief: Facility may sit as close as 5 feet to the line. Approval needed: Planning and Zoning Director must approve any encroachment.

Sec. 74-871 carries no fine of its own. Installing a rainwater harvesting facility that encroaches into a setback beyond the allowed 50 percent (side) or five-foot (rear) limits, without the planning and zoning director's prior approval, is treated as an ordinary setback violation and falls under the Code's general penalty in Sec. 1-14: up to $500.00, up to 60 days imprisonment, or both.

Doral is more permissive than most cities when it comes to rainwater harvesting. That said, there are still limits.

The Bottom Line

Doral'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 Doral is broadly strict or permissive.

All of the above reflects Doral's municipal code as of our last review. If you need specifics on fines, exemptions, or filing requirements, the detailed ordinance pages linked above have the full breakdown.