Miami Beach, FL Local Ordinances Guide

Miami Beach, Florida may not be the biggest city in the state, but it has its own set of local rules that residents need to follow. With 116 tracked ordinances across 38 categories, there is more here than you might expect.

Rental Property Rules

Repairs & Habitability: Miami Beach's property maintenance code sets minimum equipment and facility standards for every dwelling, vacant or occupied: a working kitchen sink, a private bathroom with a flush toilet, lavatory and bathtub or shower, all properly connected to approved water and sewer service..

Also covered: Just Cause Eviction (permissive), Rental Registration (moderate). See the full rental property rules guide for Miami Beach for details.

Home Business

Cottage Food Operations: Florida's Cottage Food Law (F.S. 500.80) allows Miami Beach residents to sell homemade food products with annual gross sales up to $250,000 without a state license or inspection.

Accessory Structures

ADU Rules: Miami Beach restricts ADUs under its Land Development Regulations. ADUs are permitted only in certain single-family residential zoning districts, must maintain the external appearance of a single-family home, and are subject to strict size and design requirements consistent with Miami-Dade County ADU standards..

Solar Energy

HOA Restrictions: Florida's Solar Rights Act (Section 163.04, Florida Statutes) prohibits HOAs and condominium associations from banning solar panel installations. Associations may impose reasonable aesthetic requirements but cannot increase installation costs or reduce system efficiency by more than 10%.

Animal Ordinances

Exotic Pets: Miami Beach bans keeping any animal or vermin whose natural actions or presence are harmful to public health or perilous to public safety, backed by escalating civil fines up to $10,000 and business tax receipt revocation on a fourth offense..

Also covered: Beekeeping (moderate), Breed Restrictions (moderate), Chickens & Livestock (strict). See the full animal ordinances guide for Miami Beach for details.

Noise Ordinances

Leaf Blower Rules: Gas-powered leaf blowers are outlawed citywide in Miami Beach under City Code Sec. 46-242.

Also covered: Barking Dogs (moderate), Vehicle Noise (moderate), Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (moderate). See the full noise ordinances guide for Miami Beach for details.

Cannabis Regulations

Home Cultivation: Home cultivation of cannabis is illegal in Miami Beach and throughout Florida. Florida law only permits medical marijuana through licensed Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers (MMTCs).

Swimming Pools & Spas

Fencing & Safety Requirements: Miami Beach enforces strict pool safety under Florida's Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act (F.S. 515) and the Florida Building Code HVHZ provisions.

Garage & Yard Sales

Frequency, Duration & Permits: Miami Beach limits garage sales to one per residential property per 12-month period. Each sale may last a maximum of two consecutive days.

Parking Rules

Preferential Parking Districts: Miami Beach designates Residential Parking Permit zones, over 20 of them from South Pointe to Altos del Mar, when a neighborhood's on-street spaces are occupied above 70% and commuter vehicles top 25% of capacity or a street is regularly used by non-resident vehicles overnight..

Also covered: EV Charging (permissive), Loading Zones (moderate), Commercial & Oversized Vehicles (moderate). See the full parking rules guide for Miami Beach for details.

Business Licensing & Operations

Towing Companies: A towing business must hold a city permit under chapter 106, article VI before removing any vehicle from private property without the owner's consent, must comply with F.S. Sec.

Also covered: Pawnbrokers (restrictive), Secondhand Dealers (restrictive), Tobacco Retail License (restrictive). See the full business licensing & operations guide for Miami Beach for details.

Landscaping Rules

Tree Removal & Heritage Trees: Miami Beach requires a tree work permit before removing or effectively destroying any non-specimen, specimen, heritage or prohibited-species tree on public or private land. The environment and sustainability department issues permits; a short list of exemptions covers dead trees, hazards and small yard trees..

Also covered: Tree Trimming (moderate), Weed Ordinances (moderate), Water Restrictions (moderate). See the full landscaping rules guide for Miami Beach for details.

Fire Regulations

Outdoor Burning: Miami Beach requires anyone planning to burn material in the open, anywhere in the city, to get a fire department permit first under City Code Sec. 50-10(f).

Also covered: Fireworks (restrictive), Fire Pits & Backyard Fires (restrictive), Smoke Detectors (moderate). See the full fire regulations guide for Miami Beach for details.

Homelessness & Encampment Rules

Encampment Sanitation: Miami Beach prohibits public camping and sleeping on all public property, but officers must offer an eligible person shelter placement or housing assistance before an arrest can be made..

Also covered: Sit-Lie Rules (restrictive). See the full homelessness & encampment rules guide for Miami Beach for details.

Public Conduct

Outdoor Smoking Restrictions: Smoking any lighted tobacco product, cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, and similar items, is unlawful in every Miami Beach public park and on every public beach under City Code Sec. 82-9.

Also covered: Public Alcohol Use (restrictive), Public Marijuana Use (strict), Skateboarding Rules (restrictive). See the full public conduct guide for Miami Beach for details.

Building Safety

Fire Sprinkler Requirements: Miami Beach requires every assisted living facility with enclosed hallways to run sprinkler systems through those hallways and into every bedroom, on top of whatever the Florida Building Code and Fire Code already demand. The same section requires a smoke detector in every bedroom and emergency call buttons in every bedroom and bathroom.

Also covered: Electrical Permits (moderate), Building Permits (moderate), Plumbing Permits (moderate). See the full building safety guide for Miami Beach for details.

Public Health Rules

Syringe Disposal: Miami Beach bans putting biohazardous waste, a category the code specifically defines to include used disposable sharps, into ordinary garbage cans, trash containers or dumpsters. Sec.

Also covered: Rodent Control (moderate). See the full public health rules guide for Miami Beach for details.

Environmental Rules

Boat Dock Permits: Miami Beach caps how far a dock, wharf or mooring pile can extend into a canal or waterway, measured from the seawall, and requires a building permit plus Army Corps sign-off on navigable waters..

Also covered: Flood Zones (moderate), Erosion Control (moderate), Stormwater Management (moderate). See the full environmental rules guide for Miami Beach for details.

Rental Inspections

Tenant Complaint Process: Miami Beach City Code Sec. 58-363 lets any tenant or group of tenants file oral or written grievances with the landlord, the landlord's agents, or any government agency over management, physical conditions, or operation of a rental unit.

Hurricane Preparedness

Roof Standards: Miami Beach's 2017-2028 building permit reprieve program lets owners renew an expired roof permit without a final city inspection if a Florida-licensed architect or engineer certifies the roof meets the Florida Building Code edition in effect when it was installed. Section 14-87(b) requires an as-built letter documenting the installation date, product approval number, and an underlayment and fastener check..

Also covered: Storm Debris (limited). See the full hurricane preparedness guide for Miami Beach for details.

Sign Regulations

Garage Sale Signs: Miami Beach caps garage sale signs at two per sale, each no bigger than 12 by 18 inches, and bans them from public property or rights-of-way entirely. Signs may only go up on the first day of the sale and must come down the moment the sale ends, under City Code Sec.

Mobility & Curb Rules

Shared E-Scooter Rules: Miami Beach outlaws bringing or delivering motorized scooters, mopeds, autocycles, golf carts, or low-speed vehicles anywhere in the city to rent or lease them to the public. Only businesses replenishing or repairing their own already-permitted fleet are exempt..

Also covered: Bike Lane Rules (moderate), Red-Light Cameras (moderate). See the full mobility & curb rules guide for Miami Beach for details.

Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors

Sidewalk & Mobile Vending: Miami Beach prohibits selling, storing or offering food for sale from open-air stands anywhere in the city; food sales must happen inside an enclosed building unless the city manager designates an area..

Filming & Production

Street Closures: Filming on any Miami Beach public property, including streets, requires an advance film and print permit under City Code Sec. 12-1, and separately closing a street for any purpose needs written approval from the director of public works under Sec.

Also covered: Location Permits (moderate), Production Noise (moderate). See the full filming & production guide for Miami Beach for details.

Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules

Encroachment Permits: Obstructing any Miami Beach street or sidewalk, or impeding pedestrian or vehicle traffic on one, requires a Public Works Department permit under City Code Sec. 82-151 first.

Also covered: Obstruction Rules (moderate), Sidewalk Repair (moderate). See the full sidewalk & pedestrian rules guide for Miami Beach for details.

Trash & Recycling

Illegal Dumping: Dumping garbage, trash or solid waste on any vacant or occupied premises, street, alley, park or waterway in Miami Beach is unlawful under Sec. 90-102.

Also covered: Collection Schedule (moderate), Bulk Item Disposal (moderate), Yard Waste Collection (moderate). See the full trash & recycling guide for Miami Beach for details.

Soliciting & Door-to-Door

Solicitor Permits: Anyone making home solicitation sales in Miami Beach, going door-to-door to sell goods or services, needs a state home solicitation permit from the circuit court clerk plus a City of Miami Beach Business Tax Receipt before knocking on a single door. Sales calls are limited to 9:00 a.m.

Also covered: No-Knock Registry (moderate). See the full soliciting & door-to-door guide for Miami Beach for details.

Outdoor Lighting

Dark Sky Rules: During sea turtle nesting season, April 1 through October 31, Miami Beach's Turtle Nesting Protection Ordinance bars artificial light that is directly, indirectly or cumulatively visible from the beach. City Code Sec.

Also covered: Light Trespass & Shielding (moderate). See the full outdoor lighting guide for Miami Beach for details.

Tree Protection

Protected Tree Species: Miami Beach protects its most valuable trees through a heritage tree designation made by the environment and sustainability director. Once designated, a heritage tree gets a protected drip-line zone, mandatory arborist review before any pruning or removal, and access to a city pruning-cost reimbursement program..

Invasive Plant Rules

Prohibited Species: Miami Beach bans the sale, propagation, planting, importation and transport of any species on Miami-Dade County's chapter 24 prohibited species list, and requires those trees be removed before any development or redevelopment project moves forward, at no permit fee..

Property Maintenance

Vacant Lot Maintenance: Miami Beach treats an overgrown or trash-strewn vacant lot within 200 feet of any improved property as a declared public nuisance, especially once it draws rodents, vermin, or mosquitoes. Owners must keep vacant lots clean, weed-free, and rodent-free at all times, and a lot cited twice in 18 months has to be enclosed with a five-foot fence.

Also covered: Property Blight (moderate). See the full property maintenance guide for Miami Beach for details.

Short-Term Rentals

Repeat Violator Strikes: Miami Beach fines a first short-term rental violation $1,000, but a second violation within six months jumps to $5,000 and triggers automatic revocation of the business tax receipt and certificate of use, shutting the rental down..

Also covered: Host Platform Liability (restrictive), Short-Term Rental Permits (restrictive), Occupancy Limits (moderate). See the full short-term rentals guide for Miami Beach for details.

Curfew Laws

Park Curfew: Miami Beach closes fenced parks, beaches and golf courses at night when their gates are shut, and locks down unfenced parks and golf courses from midnight to 5:00 a.m. Unfenced beaches close earlier, from 10:00 p.m.

Noise from Specific Sources

Bar & Nightclub Noise: Miami Beach treats bars, nightclubs and hotels with six or more noise offenses in 12 months as habitual offenders under City Code Sec. 46-159(h), authorizing the city manager to suspend or revoke the business tax receipt and impose at least a 30-day ban on live or amplified sound at the property..

Also covered: Car Alarm Limits (moderate), Delivery Truck Noise (moderate). See the full noise from specific sources guide for Miami Beach for details.

Hotels & Lodging

Transient Occupancy Tax: Miami Beach levies a 4% resort tax on the rent of every hotel, motel, roominghouse or apartment house room, plus 2% on restaurant food and beverage sales, collected by the operator from the guest under City Code Sec. 102-307..

Special Events & Permits

Parade Permits: Miami Beach requires anyone organizing a parade on public streets to obtain a written permit from the chief of police under City Code Sec. 106-366.

Also covered: Commercial Filming on Public Right-of-Way (limited), Park Event Permits (moderate), Street Fair Rules (restrictive). See the full special events & permits guide for Miami Beach for details.

Water Use Rules

Leak Reporting Duty: Miami Beach City Code Sec. 110-43 makes it every property owner's, agent's or tenant's duty to stop leaks on their own premises immediately and to promptly report to the public works department any leak found elsewhere.

Local Taxes & Fees

Business Tax Classification: Companies that collect or dispose of solid waste, recyclables, hazardous or biohazardous material in Miami Beach must hold a business tax receipt (BTR) under one of five classifications set by City Code Sec. 90-192, with the city manager controlling approvals, new classes and BTR transfers..

What to Do With This Information

If you are moving to Miami Beach, buying a home, or starting a project, use this as a starting point. Each category links to detailed pages with the full text, penalties, and FAQs. Verify anything time-sensitive with Miami Beach's city hall or code enforcement office.