Hollywood's Landscaping Rules: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles landscaping rules a little differently. In Hollywood, Florida, there are 7 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.

Water Restrictions

Hollywood limits landscape irrigation to overnight and early-morning hours and assigns watering days by street address under City Code of Ordinances § 51.116. Even addresses water Thursday and/or Sunday; odd addresses water Wednesday and/or Saturday, and only outside the 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daytime window.

Key details: Daily watering hours: 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. only. Even addresses: Thursday and/or Sunday. Odd addresses: Wednesday and/or Saturday. Daytime ban: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. prohibited. First penalty: Written warning, then $50.

A property owner violating § 51.116 or § 51.118 is guilty of a civil infraction under § 51.999(D), with escalating civil penalties: a written warning for the first violation, $50 for the first violation after a warning, $100 for a second violation, and $200 for each additional violation within a one-year period, with each day of violation a separate offense. An owner who does not pay or contest a citation waives the right to contest it and faces judgment up to $250.

Tree Removal & Heritage Trees

Cutting down, relocating or destructively damaging a tree three inches or more in trunk diameter anywhere in Hollywood requires a city permit under § 106.26, unless the tree is one of ten listed nuisance or invasive species. Applications run through the Office of Planning under §§ 106.27-106.29, and cutting first triples your permit fee under the after-the-fact process.

Key details: Permit trigger: any tree 3 inches DBH or larger. Exempt species: 10 nuisance trees incl. melaleuca, Australian pine. After-the-fact fee: triple the standard permit fee. Appeal fee: $200 to Planning and Development Board. Penalty: $50-$500 fine or up to 60 days jail.

Violating Chapter 106's removal permit rules is punishable under § 106.99 by a fine of $50 to $500, up to 60 days in jail, or both, with each tree cut, damaged or removed in violation counted as a separate offense. A permit holder is also in violation if replacement trees are not planted within 60 days of the permit (or before the certificate of occupancy issues for construction) or not kept healthy for a full year afterward.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Hollywood actively enforces its tree removal & heritage trees requirements.

Weed Ordinances

Weeds, grass or other vegetation on any Hollywood property, vacant or occupied, cannot exceed eight inches in height. Once notice is posted, the owner has five calendar days to cut and remove or mulch it before the city can do the work and lien the property.

Key details: Max height: 8 inches. Applies to: vacant or occupied, improved or unimproved. Cure period after notice: 5 calendar days. City abatement admin charge: $100 per service. Repeat service in 30 days: additional $100 charge.

Beyond the $100 per-service administrative charge (with an added $100 for repeat service within 30 days) and the property lien under § 101.05(E), general Chapter 101 violations fall under § 101.99: fines up to $250 per day once declared a nuisance by the special magistrate, up to $500 per day for a recurring nuisance, and a total fine cap of $7,500.

Artificial Turf

Hollywood's code mentions artificial turf in exactly one place: the maintenance standard for registered vacant and foreclosure properties. Under § 90.09(D), artificial turf or sod counts as acceptable landscape alongside grass, ground covers and decorative rock, while gravel, broken concrete and asphalt do not qualify. The general zoning code does not separately restrict turf on ordinary occupied residential lots.

Key details: Governing section: § 90.09(D), vacant-property maintenance. Turf allowed as: Landscape, alongside grass and ground cover. Excluded materials: Weeds, gravel, broken concrete, asphalt. Applies to: Mortgagee-registered vacant/foreclosure properties only. Registration fee: $150 per property annually.

A registered vacant property that falls out of compliance with the § 90.09 landscape standard can be cited under Chapter 36's Notice of Violation/Notice of Hearing process, decided by the city's Special Magistrate. The annual mortgagee registration itself carries a $150 per-property fee, and failing to register a vacant property after default is a separate violation of § 90.08.

Hollywood is more permissive than most cities when it comes to artificial turf. That said, there are still limits.

Rainwater Harvesting

Under Hollywood's green building code, a project that claims credit for the irrigation-reuse practice must use wastewater reuse where it is available, and switch to rainwater harvesting, built to Broward County's rainwater harvesting guidelines, where wastewater reuse is not.

Key details: Governing section: Hollywood Code § 151.153(M). Priority order: Wastewater reuse first, rainwater second. Design standard: Broward County rainwater harvesting guidelines. Verification: Plumbing inspector, final inspection. Adopted by: Ord. O-2011-06, 2-16-11.

A rainwater or wastewater reuse system that the plumbing inspector cannot verify at final inspection does not count toward the project's required green-practice minimum, which can hold up the certificate of occupancy until the project substitutes another approved practice or brings the system into compliance; a project that certifies compliance falsely is subject to the Code's general penalty under § 10.99, up to a $500 fine or 60 days imprisonment, with each day of a continuing violation a separate offense.

Tree Trimming

Owners of property next to a public swale must keep required street trees pruned to a minimum seven-foot clearance above grade at all times under City Code § 155.53, and must maintain the trees in a sound, skillful manner using species the code and Landscape Manual approve.

Key details: Minimum clearance above grade: 7 feet at all times. Who must maintain the tree: Adjacent private property owner. Applies to: Trees in the public swale area. Species source: City Landscape Manual list. Enforcing office: Engineering Department.

Letting a required street tree drop below the seven-foot clearance is a violation of the Trees in Public Right-of-Way subchapter, enforced by the Engineering Department under § 155.75, which is charged with strictly enforcing all provisions of Chapter 155. Chapter 155's general penalty section, § 155.99, sets a fine of up to $100 or up to 30 days imprisonment for each violation of the chapter.

Native Plants

Any Hollywood, FL development other than a single-family home must plant native species, as defined in the city's Landscape Specifications Manual, for at least 60% of its required trees and 50% of its required shrubs, excluding groundcover. The same landscaping article bans invasive exotic pest plants outright.

Key details: Native plant minimum: 60% trees, 50% shrubs. Applies to: Non-single-family development projects. Invasive species ban: FLEPPC Category I and II plants. Governing manual: Hollywood Landscape Specifications Manual. Post-notice correction window: 30 days.

Failing to pass the pre-completion landscape inspection is a violation under § 9.7.C. If landscaping is found non-conforming after a certificate of occupancy issues, the owner has 30 days from written notice to correct it; failing to comply within that window is a violation of the article under § 9.8.C, enforced by the Department of Planning and Development Services.

The Bottom Line

Hollywood'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 Hollywood is broadly strict or permissive.

This guide is based on Hollywood's current municipal code. Local rules can and do change, so check the individual ordinance pages for the latest details, penalties, and FAQs.