Boca Raton, FL

The entire City of Boca Raton is legally declared a bird sanctuary, making it unlawful for anyone to shoot, kill, trap, catch, chase, injure or capture any wild bird within city…

Boca Raton outright bans keeping chickens, turkeys, geese and other livestock or fowl anywhere within city limits, with a single narrow exception for horses and ponies kept on the…

Boca Raton declares any dog or cat found running "at large," off the owner's property and unrestrained by leash, cord or chain, a public nuisance. Owners face escalating fines starting…

Boca Raton caps household pets at 4 dogs and cats combined per dwelling unit, counting every animal kept by everyone living there. An escapeproof fenced yard raises the cap to 6, and…

Boca Raton does not have breed-specific legislation banning particular dog breeds. Florida state law (F.S. 767.14) prohibits local governments from enacting breed-specific regulations.

Boca Raton allows beekeeping subject to Florida Department of Agriculture regulations. Beekeepers must register with the state and follow best management practices for hive placement…

Grooming parlors and mobile grooming units in unincorporated Palm Beach County must hold an annual operational permit from Animal Care and Control, renewed yearly and subject to…

Palm Beach County requires every cat four months or older to be implanted with an electronic animal ID (EAID) microchip, and owners must keep their contact information tied to that…

Unincorporated Palm Beach County lets registered caregivers manage feral cat colonies under a trap-neuter-vaccinate-return program instead of licensing each cat, provided the cats are…

Feeding any exotic or native animal in a Palm Beach County park is strictly forbidden unless the Parks and Recreation Director authorizes it, with violators facing fines up to $500 per…

Unincorporated Palm Beach County requires every dog six months or older and every cat four months or older to be spayed or neutered unless the owner qualifies for one of seven specific…

Unincorporated Palm Beach County caps veterinary clinics at 5,000 sq ft in AR, AGR and CLO zones and requires a 1-acre lot with 50-foot setbacks for any outdoor runs.

Palm Beach County barred new pet-shop and pet-dealer permits for stores selling dogs or cats since October 1, 2016; existing licensed stores keep operating and can transfer ownership…

In unincorporated Palm Beach County, keeping a dangerous or FWC Class 1 or 2 animal requires Board of County Commissioners approval as a Class A Conditional Use and a five-acre minimum…

Boca Raton requires a fire rescue services department permit before installing any liquefied petroleum gas container and bans placing one closer than 10 feet to a neighboring property…

Boca Raton requires a permit before anyone may set a fire anywhere in the city, on any lot, street or alley, public or private. The fire rescue services department issues the permit…

Boca Raton bans firecrackers, rockets, roman candles, and similar fireworks inside any building, tent, or enclosed space, and requires a city manager permit, backed by $1,000,000 in…

Smoke alarms are required in all dwelling units in unincorporated Palm Beach County under the Florida Building Code (Residential) Section R314 and FL FS §553.883. Battery-powered…

Recreational campfires and bonfires are allowed without a county burn permit under the Open Burning Ordinance, but they can't produce excessive visible smoke: the standard used to…

The Florida Forest Service has statewide jurisdiction over wildfire prevention and suppression on non-municipal land under Chapter 590, Florida Statutes.

Boca Raton bans lawn and landscape irrigation on Friday and between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. every other day. Outside those hours, odd-numbered addresses may water Monday, Wednesday…

Boca Raton requires a tree permit before anyone cuts down, destroys, moves or damages a tree, specimen tree, historic tree, mangrove tree or beach dune vegetation on regulated…

Boca Raton lets residents compost vegetative and other waste in a compost container in the rear yard, provided it doesn't give off offensive odors. Bringing material in from another…

Boca Raton caps grass, weeds and underbrush at 8 inches tall under Code of Ordinances § 10-26's definition of 'untended vegetation,' and § 10-27 makes it a violation for any owner or…

Florida-Friendly Landscaping using Florida native plants is protected statewide under FL FS §373.185 and encouraged by Palm Beach County. PBC ULDC Article 14 awards landscape credits…

Palm Beach County exempts rain barrels, cisterns, and similar rain-harvesting devices from the county's landscape irrigation watering-day and time restrictions, letting residents water…

Tree trimming in unincorporated Palm Beach County is largely deregulated for residential parcels following FL FS §163.045 (2019), which preempts local permit requirements when an…

Boca Raton makes it a public nuisance to leave a wrecked, junked or unregistered motor vehicle on public property for more than 72 hours, or to store an inoperable vehicle on private…

Boca Raton bans parking recreational vehicles, boats, trailers, and commercial vehicles on residential streets or swales, and on residential lots, unless screened in a garage or…

Boca Raton requires every new or enlarged structure to provide its own off-street loading space, sized at least 12 feet wide by 45 feet deep with 14 feet of vertical clearance, so…

Boca Raton defines a legally parked vehicle as one whose curbside tires sit within 12 inches of the curb, doesn't overhang the adjacent space, doesn't block the driving aisle, and…

Any Boca Raton development required to provide 20 or more off-street parking spaces must dedicate at least 35 percent of them to electric vehicle infrastructure, split among installed…

Boca Raton limits single-family and duplex driveways to a 12-to-24-foot width and caps most lots at two driveways per street. City Code Sec. 23-189 also requires 20 feet of separation…

Boca Raton bans parking, storing or keeping a commercial vehicle, recreational vehicle, boat or trailer on the street pavement, in the swale, or on private property in any residential…

Unincorporated Palm Beach County bars parking any vehicle, equipment, trailer, or boat on a public street or right-of-way for more than one hour in any 24-hour period, effectively…

In unincorporated Palm Beach County, any electric vehicle charging parking space must be painted green or marked with green painted lines or curbs under the county's land development…

Florida caps the drop fee a tower can charge at half the posted rate if the owner shows up mid-tow, requires a signed itemized receipt, and forces storage lots within 10 to 15 highway…

Boca Raton allows barbed wire outriggers on security fences only along district boundaries where business, commercial, or industrial zoning directly abuts residential zoning, within…

Boca Raton requires a building permit to erect or replace a fence of any height, per Sec. 19-66, and a separate written approval from the city manager or designee before any fence can…

A retaining wall in a Boca Raton floodway is not just a fence question, it is a floodplain permit question. City Code Sec. 21-195 requires any retaining wall, sidewalk, or driveway…

Boca Raton caps fences, walls, and gates in required yards at 6 feet in residential and miscellaneous districts, 6 feet in business districts, and 7 feet in commercial and industrial…

Florida's one statewide fence statute, §588.011, defines a legal fence as at least 3 feet high with three strands of wire on posts no more than 20 feet apart. Residential height…

Boca Raton allows home-based businesses as an accessory residential use, but requires a certificate of use and business tax receipt, caps business floor area at 25% of the dwelling…

Boca Raton allows baby-sitting as an accessory home use in single-family districts, but caps it at 5 children including the sitter's own kids under 12, bans advertising signs, and…

Boca Raton lets home-based businesses operate but bars any sale or physical hand-off of goods to a customer, consumer or client on the property. Any transaction that does not involve…

Boca Raton flatly forbids any external sign or other visible evidence that a home-based business exists inside a residential dwelling. The property must look and read as purely…

Cottage food operations in unincorporated Palm Beach County are governed by FL FS §500.80, which preempts local regulation. Producers may sell up to 250,000 dollars annually of…

Boca Raton bars running lawn mowers, edgers, trimmers and power-driven hedge shears between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. citywide. The code's lawn-equipment hours section does not name gas leaf…

Boca Raton's noise code sets exact decibel ceilings for fixed mechanical and electrical noise sources by zoning district. Residential zones (1-2 family and apartment) cap out at 55 dBA…

Boca Raton bans playing a radio, stereo, or musical instrument loud enough to disturb neighborhood peace anywhere in the city, requires recreation department authorization for…

Construction work in Boca Raton is barred before 7 a.m. or after 6 p.m. on weekdays, before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m. on Saturday, and at any time on Sunday, whenever it would push noise…

Boca Raton bars modifying a vehicle's muffler or exhaust to make it louder than the factory original, and caps motorcycles, trailbikes, minibikes and scooters at 75 decibels measured…

Boca Raton divides land near Boca Raton Airport into three noise zones based on aircraft sound contours: zone A (75 Ldn and above), zone B (70-75 Ldn) and zone C (65-70 Ldn). No…

It is unlawful in Boca Raton to keep a dog, cat or bird in a residential zone that habitually howls, barks, meows or squawks enough to cause a noise disturbance. Enforcement requires…

Unincorporated Palm Beach County bans noisy construction, demolition, and lawn or garden equipment at residential property lines from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., with construction work barred…

Boca Raton requires building permits for all swimming pool installations. Pools must comply with the Florida Building Code and the Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act (FL Ch. 515)…

Boca Raton requires all swimming pools to be enclosed by a barrier at least 48 inches high with self-closing, self-latching gates per Florida Building Code. Florida's Residential…

Hosts renting short-term in unincorporated Palm Beach County must file a registration application and pay fees for a Business Tax Receipt and Tourist Development Tax account before…

Airbnb, Vrbo and other hosting platforms operating in unincorporated Palm Beach County must verify each host holds an active Tourist Development Tax account and Business Tax Receipt…

Palm Beach County can revoke a Home Sharing or Vacation Rental registration for any violation of the short-term rental ordinance, and the host must wait a full year before reapplying.

Palm Beach County splits short-term rentals into Home Sharing, where the host lives on-site during the stay, and Vacation Rentals, where the host is absent: both require separate…

Palm Beach County has not imposed minimum night stay requirements on STRs in unincorporated areas. Minimum stay caps are preempted by FL §509.032 for the County, though incorporated…

Unincorporated Palm Beach County levies a 6% Tourist Development Tax on stays of six months or less, and hosts must hold an active Business Tax Receipt and TDT account with the Tax…

Palm Beach County allows tiny houses as small as 400 square feet under Florida Building Code Appendix Q, formally adopted into the county's own building code with reduced…

Unincorporated Palm Beach County lets you convert a garage or carport to living space, but only if you replace the lost parking in the driveway or a common lot first.

Unincorporated Palm Beach County lets homeowners build one Accessory Quarters unit by right, but the code defines it as located on the owner-occupied principal dwelling's lot, so…

Unincorporated Palm Beach County allows accessory dwelling units (called Guest Cottages or Servant Quarters) under PBC ULDC Article 4.B.1.A on lots of at least one acre in agricultural…

Unincorporated Palm Beach County requires a building permit before you erect a shed of any size: the county's own exemption list for building work never carves out small accessory…

Bars and nightclubs in Boca Raton cannot play music or sound systems loud enough to disturb the neighborhood, and their property line is capped at 60 dBA day and night under the…

Loading and unloading trucks in Boca Raton cannot create excessive or unnecessary loud noise, and heavy trucks over 8,000 pounds cannot idle more than 2 minutes within 150 feet of…

Boca Raton bars air conditioners, compressors and power fans from making excessive noise unless muffled, and requires the city manager to approve where new or replacement outdoor AC…

Emergency generators in Boca Raton residential districts are exempt from the standard noise limits when running during a power outage, but they cannot exceed 72 dBA. Testing is capped…

Boca Raton requires every dwelling unit to use city solid waste collection under Section 14-3, covering single-family homes, duplexes, and multi-family buildings, with fees billed to…

Boca Raton collects grass clippings, palm fronds, and tree branches as "vegetative waste" under Chapter 14, but the material must be set out on the swale at the paved right-of-way edge…

Boca Raton limits when single-family and duplex households can put solid waste containers at the curb: no earlier than 7 p.m. the night before pickup, removed within 12 hours after…

Boca Raton bans creating or running any landfill or dump within the city and prohibits placing solid waste on streets, rights-of-way, storm drains, canals, lakes, or other property…

Boca Raton requires a non-exclusive city franchise before any company can place or service roll-off dumpsters for construction and demolition debris, and bans roll-off containers from…

Boca Raton requires residents to keep recyclable material separate from all other solid waste and to place newspapers and other paper items in an approved recycling container…

Boca Raton requires residents on automated collection to use only the city-issued roll-out cart, placed off the street within 3 feet of the curb and at least 3 feet from any…

Boca Raton collects bulk waste like appliances and furniture curbside under Chapter 14, but only if it is set out no more than 24 hours before pickup and kept clear of utilities…

Palm Beach County makes it a crime to scavenge or remove recyclables once residents set them at the curb for pickup, and requires anyone collecting recyclable material to hold a county…

Boca Raton bars solicitors, canvassers and peddlers, licensed or not, from approaching any private residence that posts a 'No soliciting' or 'No peddling' sign near its entrance. Code…

Solicitors in Boca Raton need a Home Solicitation Sales Permit from the Palm Beach County Clerk under FL §501.022 for sales over $25. Chapter 8 of the city code regulates local…

Boca Raton bars stopping, standing or parking any vehicle on a bicycle path anywhere in the city, alongside the same prohibition for sidewalks, crosswalks, medians and posted fire…

Boca Raton runs two separate photo-enforcement programs under its own ordinances: red-light cameras under Section 16-61 and, since March 2025, school-zone speed cameras under Article…

Within Boca Raton's Midtown Planned Mobility Development (PMD) area, the city can require developers to set aside one on-street parking space per block on Type A or Type B streets…

Florida flips the usual assumption: a golf cart is barred from public roads unless a county, a municipality, or a water control district has affirmatively designated that road for cart…

Boca Raton taxes every business, profession or occupation operating in the city under Code of Ordinances § 8-46: a flat $105.00 local business tax applies except for ten…

Boca Raton treats secondhand goods dealers as 'consignment shops' under Code of Ordinances § 8-58 and requires a $10,000.00 surety bond plus a clean felony record before the city will…

Boca Raton imposes tougher rules than state law before a private property owner can order a non-consent tow. Outside vacant, unimproved or residentially zoned land, the owner or a…

Boca Raton confines every adult entertainment establishment to the M-3 and W-1 zoning districts and then keeps them 300 feet from any other regulated use, residential zoning, church…

Palm Beach County doesn't license massage establishments itself: Code § 17-149 defers entirely to the state Board of Massage under Chapter 480, Florida Statutes, and a studio still…

Temporary tattoo and body piercing establishments in Palm Beach County must pass a county Health Department plan review and pay a $200 fee before opening, per the Environmental Control…

Palm Beach County requires anyone operating a pawnshop or buying/pawning secondhand goods to get a $350 sheriff's office permit, hold goods 15 days before resale, and submit…

Unincorporated Palm Beach County bars home-based businesses from performing paid repair services on-site, and caps work vehicles at one per lot (12,500 lbs GVWR) unless you're zoned…

Florida Statute 569.315 expressly preempts the regulation of the marketing, sale, and delivery of nicotine products and dispensing devices to the state, voiding most municipal…

Boca Raton's Code of Ordinances § 10-1 makes property owners responsible for keeping lots and structures free of fire, storm and construction debris and for correcting maintenance…

Boca Raton bans untended vegetation over 8 inches, litter and stagnant water on any lot, including vacant parcels and the adjoining right-of-way to the road centerline. Code compliance…

Boca Raton requires every elevator to remain available to fire rescue personnel at all times and to meet Florida's Elevator Safety Code. Emergency auxiliary power must run backup…

Any automatic fire sprinkler system installed in a Boca Raton building must be listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory and wired to automatically transmit an alarm to an…

Boca Raton requires new child care and adult care centers to sit on at least 10,000 square feet with 100 feet of street frontage, surround play areas with a 6-foot fence or wall, and…

Boca Raton enforces plumbing work through the Florida Building Code, Plumbing, covering installation, alteration, repair and replacement of plumbing systems, equipment, appliances and…

Any contractor, owner, or authorized agent who wants to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, or demolish a building in Boca Raton, or install, alter, or replace an electrical, gas…

New buildings and new parking structures in Boca Raton must install carbon monoxide detection systems under Section 7-60(6) of the fire code. The devices must send a supervisory signal…

Section 19-156 lists every inspection Boca Raton's building official must perform stage by stage, from foundation and slab through framing, roofing, and final, for building…

Boca Raton enforces electrical work through Chapter 27 of the Florida Building Code, Building, plus the National Electrical Installation Standards, applying to every installation…

Unincorporated Palm Beach County lets qualifying projects earn a Type 1 Waiver from standard architecture guidelines by hitting a Green Architecture points threshold.

Lead-based paint disclosure and abatement in Palm Beach County follow federal EPA RRP Rule and HUD Lead Safe Housing Rule. Pre-1978 housing requires EPA-certified renovators for any…

Boca Raton's Reclaimed Water Service Ordinance requires new commercial, industrial, golf-course and common-area development to connect to the Project IRIS reclaimed water system within…

Boca Raton's minor-repair exemption from a building permit tops out at $1,000 of work in a 12-month period, but Sec. 19-67(3)(a)7 pulls solar photovoltaic systems, including module…

Florida Statutes Section 163.04 prohibits HOAs from banning solar panel installation. HOAs may only determine specific roof location within 45 degrees of due south if it does not…

Boca Raton does not require an electrical permit to install a low-voltage wireless security camera or video doorbell under Sec. 19-67(4)(d) of the building code. A standalone home…

Boca Raton requires impact-rated opening protection under Sec. 19-96 for site-built 1- and 2-family homes when a permitted improvement costs $50,000 or more and the home is insured for…

Boca Raton will not approve a roof permit until the construction documents spell out the roofing system, materials, fastening pattern, flashing, and wind resistance rating for that…

Boca Raton sets its own freeboard above FEMA's base flood elevation: Sec. 19-238 requires new buildings in flood hazard areas to set their lowest floor at the highest of the base flood…

Once the city declares a hurricane warning, Sec. 19-170 requires every active construction site to either remove all stored solid waste or secure it against becoming wind-borne debris…

Boca Raton bans idling a motor vehicle over 8,000 pounds for more than 2 consecutive minutes on private property within 150 feet of residentially zoned land. City Code Sec. 10-75…

Boca Raton limits how far a private dock can reach into a canal and how many a single waterfront lot can have. Under City Code Sec. 22-58, docks on canals narrower than 100 feet cannot…

Boca Raton's Initial Stormwater Control Ordinance bans discharging anything but stormwater into the city's storm drains, including sewage, industrial waste or other pollutants, and…

Boca Raton adds a mandatory buffer above the federal flood map. Under City Code Sec. 19-238(2), new buildings in flood hazard areas must set the lowest floor at or above the base flood…

Any development, from grading to new construction, inside a mapped special flood hazard area in Boca Raton needs a permit before work starts. City Code Sec. 21-51 requires the…

In unincorporated Palm Beach County, new construction must be graded to keep stormwater on the building site until it reaches the roadway or public drainage system, with the Floodplain…

Florida regulates construction seaward of the Coastal Construction Control Line through state permits, with uniform standards administered by the Department of Environmental Protection.

Boca Raton bans mobile food dispensing vehicles from operating in any public or private right-of-way, including sidewalks. Vending is allowed only as an accessory use on private…

Mobile food dispensing vehicles in Boca Raton may operate only as accessory uses in zoning districts whose regulations specifically authorize them, and only on private property, never…

Boca Raton allows mobile food dispensing vehicles only as an accessory use where the underlying zoning district authorizes them, and requires a city certificate of use before…

In Boca Raton, the property owner pays for the sidewalk out front, not the city. City Code Sec. 23-165 makes the abutting property owner responsible for repairing public right-of-way…

Boca Raton will not issue a building permit for any construction or alteration whose walls, bays, balconies, or other projections encroach on a public right-of-way, or for relocating a…

Boca Raton bans placing curbstones, concrete blocks, boulders, metal pipe, or any sharp-edged or pointed object in a public right-of-way under Code Sec. 25-9. Abutting property owners…

Boca Raton designates individual trees as specimen or historic trees by city council ordinance, based on age, type, size or historic association. Once designated, cutting, removing or…

Boca Raton requires qualifying mixed-use infill developments to plant canopy or shade trees along every street the property fronts, set inside a dedicated street tree planting zone…

Boca Raton singles out mangrove trees, red, white and black, for special protection because they anchor the coastal food chain and provide wildlife habitat. Land development near…

Boca Raton caps single-family residential buildings at 25 feet, but lets up to 40% of a pitched roof rise to 35 feet, while flat roofs and shallow-pitch roofs stay capped at 25 feet…

In Boca Raton's M-3 industrial zoning district, the gross floor area of a principal building plus its accessory structures cannot exceed 60 percent of the plot, a hard numeric ceiling…

Boca Raton fixes front, side and rear yard setbacks by single-family zoning district in a table at City Code Sec. 28-336, ranging from 75-foot rear yards in the largest-lot R-E-2…

Boca Raton only allows marijuana-related retail as a licensed medical marijuana treatment center dispensing facility of at least 2,500 square feet; any marijuana product business that…

Boca Raton bars a new medical marijuana treatment center dispensing facility or retail pharmacy from locating within 4,000 feet of any other such facility, measured airline distance…

Home cultivation of cannabis is prohibited in Florida. Only state-licensed Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers may cultivate. Recreational cannabis remains illegal after Amendment 3…

Boca Raton bans nearly all artificial light visible from its beaches under Code Sec. 23-242. Floodlights and decorative uplighting are prohibited outright, pole and wall fixtures must…

Boca Raton caps light spilling onto neighboring homes at 1 footcandle measured at the residential property line under Code Sec. 23-241(4). Every outdoor fixture must also be shaded and…

In unincorporated Palm Beach County, billboard illumination must be aimed only at the billboard face, no outward floodlighting, under the Unified Land Development Code's Supplemental…

Window signs in Boca Raton are limited to ground-floor windows only, capped at 20 percent of the window area or 9 square feet, whichever is less, under Code Sec. 24-100. Letters may…

Boca Raton has no sign category written specifically for garage sales, so a sign advertising one is governed as a general temporary sign under Code Sec. 24-104(1): banned from the…

Political signs are regulated in Boca Raton as noncommercial temporary signs under Code Sec. 24-104(3). Residential properties are capped at 3 square feet per street frontage normally…

Boca Raton regulates electronic and digital signs under Code Sec. 24-101, requiring factory-set, password-protected brightness limits and a default shutoff on malfunction. Displays…

Palm Beach County exempts temporary holiday lighting from its outdoor lighting standards, no permit or photometric plan needed, unless the display creates a safety hazard or glare…

Boca Raton doesn't set one citywide park closing time. City Code Sec. 11-4 requires every park to stay open every day of the year during hours posted at that specific park, and Sec…

Boca Raton addresses juvenile conduct through Chapter 9 (Miscellaneous Offenses) of the Code of Ordinances. Florida Statutes Section 877.22 authorizes municipalities to adopt juvenile…

Boca Raton designates historic sites and districts by city council ordinance after the historic preservation board studies and reports on a property's significance, and the city's…

Boca Raton requires a special event permit before anyone organizes, sponsors, or holds a parade, and its Code definition names parades directly. Article V of Chapter 13 covers any…

Boca Raton requires a permit from the recreation director before anyone organizes a public assembly in a park, and picnic shelters must be reserved in advance for a specific time and…

Any gathering in Boca Raton that blocks the normal flow of traffic on a public street, sidewalk or park, from a block party to a parade, meets the city's definition of a 'special…

Palm Beach County makes it unlawful to disrupt a permitted commercial film or TV shoot on public property, banning sound interference, lighting interference, blocking equipment access…

Boca Raton bans drinking alcohol above 1 percent by volume on any public street, sidewalk, right-of-way, park or beach, and on parking lots or sidewalks of business, industrial, public…

Boca Raton bans smoking outright in every city-owned park and on every city-owned beach under Code of Ordinances § 9-7, backed by a civil fine of up to $500.00. The ban carves out one…

Officers may issue a $100 civil citation instead of arresting adults caught with 20 grams or less of marijuana or paraphernalia in unincorporated Palm Beach County, capped at two…

Palm Beach County bans loitering in park restrooms, dressing rooms, picnic shelters, and wooded areas countywide under Sec. 21-35, with violators facing citation, ejection, and fines…

Boca Raton zones data centers as "telecom web-hosting facilities" and confines them to a conditional use in the IG/S1 Industrial General-Special District, requiring public-hearing…

Boca Raton bans grills and smokers on balconies, in screened enclosures, under overhangs, and in covered parking, with one narrow exception: a tabletop electric grill of 200 square…

Boca Raton bans outdoor cooking appliances, including grills, stoves and smokers, within 20 feet of any building's exterior wall. Section 7-29 covers every multifamily and commercial…

In Boca Raton's LIRP light industrial and research park district, an office building over 50,000 square feet can earn a 100-foot height cap, a 0.85 floor area ratio and a 15 percent…

Boca Raton limits residential garage sales to four total days per calendar year per property, no more than two consecutive days at a time, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., and requires a…

Boca Raton outright bans planting three invasive, nonnative trees: Brazilian pepper, melaleuca and Australian pine. Development sites must clear existing stands of these species as a…

HOA architectural review committees (ARCs) in Palm Beach County must follow procedures in the recorded declaration of covenants. FL §720.3035 limits ARC authority to standards…

Unincorporated Palm Beach County requires every POA declaration to grant automatic membership, voting rights, and assessment authority, and forces the developer to set a fixed date for…

HOA disputes in Palm Beach County must follow pre-suit mediation under FL §720.311 before litigation. Condominium disputes use mandatory non-binding arbitration through DBPR under FL…

HOA assessments in Palm Beach County are governed by FL §720.308. Annual budget and assessments require board approval; special assessments may require member vote per the declaration…

HOA covenants in Palm Beach County enforced under FL §720.305. Fines capped at $100 per violation, $1,000 aggregate (unless declaration sets higher), and cannot become a lien unless…

Under Fla. Stat. § 720.303(2), Florida HOA board meetings must be open to members with notice posted at least 48 hours ahead. Section 720.306 governs member meetings and elections, §…

Florida Statute 163.04 bars homeowner association deed restrictions and local ordinances from prohibiting clotheslines, solar collectors, or other renewable-resource energy devices in…

Florida law bars HOA declarations, articles, and bylaws from prohibiting Florida-friendly landscaping, defined by statute as drought-tolerant, water-conserving design. Section…

Florida law bars homeowners associations from stopping owners from flying up to two flags, each no larger than 4 1/2 by 6 feet, including the U.S. flag, Florida's state flag, military…

Under Fla. Stat. § 720.305, a Florida HOA may fine up to $100 per violation and $1,000 in the aggregate unless the governing documents allow more. The association must give at least 14…

A Florida association can foreclose an assessment lien in the same manner a mortgage is foreclosed, but only after two separate 45-day notices, and fines are largely off limits: a…

Florida limits how homeowners' associations can restrict renting out a home, but only in communities governed by Chapter 720, not condos or co-ops. Under Fla. Stat. § 720.306(1)(h), a…

Palm Beach County's Property Maintenance Code requires every rental dwelling unit to have working plumbing, hot water, adequate heat, and safe electrical service, enforced by code…

Palm Beach County follows Florida Statute Chapter 83 (Florida Residential Landlord and Tenant Act) for evictions. No just-cause eviction requirement exists; landlords may decline to…

Unincorporated Palm Beach County requires landlords who rent apartment houses long-term to hold a county Business Tax Receipt, taxed at $1.64 per unit with a $27.50 minimum, renewed…

Florida Statute §125.0103(2) flatly prohibits rent control in Palm Beach County and every other Florida locality. The 2023 Live Local Act deleted the old housing-emergency referendum…

Fla. Stat. § 83.56 requires a 3-day notice to pay rent or vacate for nonpayment, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays from the count. For lease violations, the landlord…

Under Fla. Stat. § 83.53, a Florida landlord must give at least 24 hours' notice to enter for repairs and may enter only at reasonable times, defined as between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m…

For a month-to-month tenancy, Fla. Stat. § 83.57 now requires 30 days' written notice (raised from 15 days by 2023's HB 1417). Breaking a fixed-term lease triggers landlord remedies…

Florida has no rent control and no statute setting a maximum rent increase or a dedicated advance-notice period. On a month-to-month tenancy, a new rent takes effect only through the…

Florida places no dollar limit on residential security deposits, but it enforces tight deadlines. If the landlord makes no claim, the deposit must be returned within 15 days of…

Adverse possession in Florida requires 7 years of actual, continued, exclusive possession plus paying all taxes within a year and filing a return with the property appraiser (Fla…

Palm Beach County charges a 6% tourist development tax on stays of six months or less at hotels, motels, and vacation rentals countywide, including inside every municipality, collected…

County Code § 18-2 makes it unlawful to occupy, lodge, or sleep in the open on private property, vacant lots, or under bridges without the owner's permission, and separately bans…

Remote-controlled drones are banned in Palm Beach County parks unless specifically allowed under FAA rules and Florida law, and they can never be flown over people or wildlife.

Commercial drone operations in Florida are regulated by federal FAA Part 107 and state law; local governments cannot impose additional commercial operation restrictions.

Florida expressly preempts local regulation of drones, reserving authority to the state and federal government, with limited surveillance and trespass exceptions.

In the AGR and AP agricultural zoning districts, Palm Beach County's code puts neighbors on notice that Florida's Right to Farm Act, F.S. § 823.14, can bar nuisance suits against…

Farms in Palm Beach County's unincorporated AGR and AP agricultural districts are shielded from nuisance suits over noise, odors, dust, and machinery under the county's Right to Farm…

Palm Beach County authorizes a needle and syringe exchange program only through a BCC-contracted nonprofit or health provider; operating one without a county contract is a criminal…

Palm Beach County mosquito control is handled by PBC Mosquito Control Division. Termite protection required at construction per FBC 1816. Tent fumigation requires 72-hour neighbor…

Florida Statute 218.077 prohibits local governments from establishing a minimum wage other than the state or federal rate, preempting city and county living-wage ordinances except for…

Florida Statute 509.032(7) and broader employment preemption framework prevent local governments from requiring private employers to follow predictive or fair-scheduling rules beyond…

Florida allows permitless concealed carry of firearms by law-abiding adults under FS 790.01 and continues to issue concealed weapon licenses through FS 790.06, with both regimes…

Florida Statute 790.33 expressly preempts the entire field of firearm and ammunition regulation to the state, voiding all local ordinances and imposing personal civil penalties on…

Florida's open carry ban (FS 790.053) was struck down by the First District Court of Appeal in McDaniels v. State on September 10, 2025. The Florida Attorney General issued guidance on…

Florida Statute 790.25(5) allows any law-abiding person 18 or older to possess a concealed firearm in a private vehicle for self-defense, provided the firearm is securely encased or…

Florida cardrooms operate only inside licensed pari-mutuel facilities, dog tracks, horse tracks, and jai alai frontons, under a license from the Florida Gaming Control Commission. Fla…

Florida lets charitable, nonprofit, and veterans' organizations run bingo without applying for any state gaming license: the statute itself sets the eligibility bar and the limits. A…

Florida law exempts small-stakes card and tile games from gambling crimes under Fla. Stat. § 849.085, but only under strict conditions: winnings per hand can't exceed $10, the game…

Sports wagering is legal in Florida only through the Seminole Tribe's Hard Rock Bet platform, authorized under the state's gaming compact codified at Fla. Stat. § 285.710(13)(b)7…

Florida allows sobriety checkpoints, and the discretion of the individual trooper is what gets constrained. Fla. Stat. § 321.05(1) gives Florida Highway Patrol officers the power to…

Florida is an all-party consent state, but that rule reaches less far than it sounds. Fla. Stat. § 934.03(2)(d) makes interception lawful only when every party consents, while §…

Florida has no general stop-and-identify statute. The Florida Stop and Frisk Law, Fla. Stat. § 901.151(2), lets an officer temporarily detain you to ascertain your identity when…

Florida wrote the automobile exception into its statutes in 1927. Fla. Stat. § 933.19 adopts the United States Supreme Court's decision of March 2, 1925 in the Carroll case, reported…

Florida Statute 403.7033 preempts the regulation of disposable plastic bags by local governments, prohibiting cities and counties from enacting bans or fees on retailers pending a…

Florida Statute 500.90 preempts the regulation of polystyrene products by local governments, blocking cities and counties from banning expanded polystyrene foam food containers, cups…

Florida Statute 569.101 prohibits the sale or delivery of tobacco and nicotine products to persons under 21, aligning with federal law and applying uniformly statewide under the…

Florida is one of the states that says yes to underbody lighting in so many words. Fla. Stat. § 316.235(3) provides that any motor vehicle may be equipped with one or more lamps or…

Florida does not give dash cameras a windshield carve-out. Fla. Stat. § 316.2952(2) is written as a closed list of exactly four things that may be attached to, or located in or upon, a…

Florida bans lane splitting in so many words. Fla. Stat. section 316.209(3) states that no person shall operate a motorcycle between lanes of traffic or between adjacent lines or rows…

Florida treats an obscured plate as a crime, not a ticket. Fla. Stat. section 320.061(1) makes it unlawful to apply or attach any substance, reflective matter, illuminated device…

A driver of a private passenger vehicle may use a radar detector in Florida. No section of the Florida Statutes prohibits owning, carrying or operating one, and chapter 316, which…

Florida does not ban studded tires and does not restrict them to a winter season. The one wheel-surface provision in the traffic code, Fla. Stat. section 316.299, prohibits driving on…

Florida sets a separate light transmittance floor for each piece of glass rather than one statewide number. Side wings and side windows forward of or next to the driver must pass at…