Capitola, FL

Unincorporated Leon County's Noise Control article (Code of Laws Ch. 12, Art. II, Ord. 08-08) does not set a single blanket curfew but bans specific activities during night hours. Yelling, shouting, or singing in residential or noise-sensitive areas is prohibited from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., and a general prohibition bars unreasonably loud noise at any time (Sec. 12-55, 12-56).

In unincorporated Leon County, construction, demolition, alteration, or repair of buildings (and excavation of streets/highways) is a per se noise violation outside 7:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays and 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. on Sundays (Code of Laws Sec. 12-56(10)). Emergency work is exempt.

Two unincorporated Leon County provisions address barking. The Noise Control article makes 'unreasonably loud and raucous noise emitted by an animal or bird for which a person is responsible' a per se violation (Code of Laws Sec. 12-56(8)). Separately, Animal Control's nuisance process (Ch. 4) lets neighbors file affidavits to abate a nuisance animal.

Unincorporated Leon County regulates amplified sound in two ways. Sec. 12-56(6) bars unreasonably loud loudspeakers, amplifiers, and PA systems near residential/noise-sensitive areas from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. weekdays and 10:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m. weekends/holidays. Sec. 12-56(5) limits radios/stereos that are plainly audible at 50 feet (Code of Laws Ch. 12, Art. II).

In unincorporated Leon County, Code of Laws Sec. 4-35 makes it unlawful for any animal to run or remain at large on any street, road, alley, park or public place. A dog off the owner's premises must be under 'direct control' - restrained by a leash or tether of appropriate length or another control device per Sec. 4-26.

Unincorporated Leon County allows backyard chickens and other fowl under Code of Laws Sec. 4-37(i), which requires compliance with the urban-agriculture provisions of Sec. 10-6.816 of the Leon County Land Development Code, keeping chickens in a ventilated coop at all times, and maintaining the coop clean and free of odors, rodents, and nuisance.

In unincorporated Leon County, Code of Laws Sec. 4-44(b) states that no livestock may be maintained, raised, or housed except as authorized in that section or the Leon County Land Development Code. Sec. 4-44(a) exempts agriculturally zoned property and bona-fide farm operations. 'Livestock' is broadly defined in Sec. 4-26 to include horses, cattle, swine, goats, sheep, and poultry.

Unincorporated Leon County has no breed-specific dog ban. Florida Statutes Sec. 767.14 prohibits any local government from adopting a regulation specific to a dog's breed, weight, or size. Leon County's Ordinance 23-01 expressly aligns Chapter 4 with Chapter 767, Florida Statutes, and classifies 'dangerous' animals by behavior, not by breed.

Leon County has no separate fireworks ordinance in its Code of Laws; consumer fireworks in unincorporated Leon County are governed by Florida Statutes Chapter 791. Under section 791.08, fireworks may lawfully be used only on three designated holidays: New Year's Day (Jan. 1), Independence Day (July 4), and New Year's Eve (Dec. 31).

Outdoor burning in unincorporated Leon County is regulated under Florida law - the Florida Forest Service (FDACS) and Florida Administrative Code Rule 62-256.700. Residential yard-waste burning is allowed without an authorization if it meets state setbacks and timing. Leon County Emergency Management can layer a countywide burn ban during drought, which prohibits all burning not authorized by the Florida Forest Service.

Leon County has no separate ordinance limiting backyard fire pits, so recreational fires in unincorporated Leon County follow Florida open-burning rules. Florida Administrative Code 62-256.700 does not prohibit campfires, ceremonial bonfires, or outdoor fireplaces burning untreated wood and vegetative debris, but any countywide burn ban issued by Leon County Emergency Management suspends fire pits, campfires, and bonfires.

Leon County has no mandatory brush-clearance or defensible-space ordinance in its Code of Laws; unlike fire-prone Western states, Florida does not impose a statutory clearance distance on homeowners. Brush reduction around homes is a voluntary Firewise/defensible-space best practice promoted by the Florida Forest Service (FDACS), and clearing brush by burning still must follow state open-burning rules and any active Leon County burn ban.

Unincorporated Leon County has no Land Development Code (Chapter 10) section restricting where a resident parks or stores a recreational vehicle, boat, or trailer on a residential lot - no front-yard ban or surface rule. The main limits are the county Junk Code (Chapter 14, Article III) and the rule that living in an RV travel trailer is not allowed. A boat or RV must stay operable with a valid tag or be enclosed, or it can be cited as junk.

In unincorporated Leon County, abandoned and junked vehicles are governed by the county Junk Code - Chapter 14, Article III. Section 14-2 defines a 'junked or abandoned motor vehicle' as one lacking a current-year tag, with a part necessary for operation removed 15+ days, or otherwise abandoned. Section 14-31(a) bars keeping such a vehicle in any yard or open area more than 15 days unless enclosed or held by a licensed business. The Code Enforcement Board enforces it under Chapter 6 and Florida Statutes Chapter 162.

Unincorporated Leon County has no codified ordinance capping the size or number of commercial vehicles parked at a residence. The Code Compliance Program FAQ does exclude 'oversized vehicles, such as semi-trucks' from the rule that there is no limit on operable, tagged vehicles - signaling semi-trucks are not treated as ordinary residential vehicles. Commercial trucks must still be operable with a valid tag (or enclosed) to avoid the Chapter 14 Junk Code, and Chapter 10 zoning controls where commercial activity may occur.

On-street parking on the unincorporated Leon County road system is governed mainly by Florida state law - Statute 316.194 controls parking on highways outside municipalities. The only county-specific on-street rule is Chapter 16, Article VI, Section 16-208, requiring drivers to obey marked angle-parking spaces (added by Ordinance 24-11, 2024). Disabled-space parking is enforced under Section 12-5 with a $250 fine. The City of Tallahassee enforces its own separate rules.

Unincorporated Leon County does not require a local short-term-rental permit or special-use approval. Florida Statutes § 509.032(7)(b) bars local governments from prohibiting vacation rentals or regulating their duration or frequency. Operators must instead hold a state DBPR vacation-rental license under Chapter 509.

Leon County has no standalone vacation-rental registration ordinance. The required registration is with the Leon County Tax Collector for the tourist development tax: the owner, operator, or agent must obtain a tourist development account number and remit the 5% tax. State DBPR licensing applies separately.

Leon County levies a 5% tourist development (bed) tax on rentals of six months or less, authorized by Fla. Stat. § 125.0104 and Leon County Ordinance No. 11-46. The owner, operator, or agent collects it and remits monthly to the Tax Collector. State sales/transient rental tax and a DBPR license fee also apply.

Unincorporated Leon County has not adopted local short-term-rental occupancy caps. Florida Statutes § 509.032(7)(b) bars regulating the duration or frequency of vacation rentals, and no grandfathered pre-2011 Leon County ordinance is on record. Occupancy is governed mainly by state building, fire, and DBPR life-safety standards.

Unincorporated Leon County's Land Development Code sets no general maximum height for residential fences, and DSEM confirms the Florida Building Code does not regulate residential fences. Height standards apply only to required buffer fences (presumptively a minimum of eight feet under Sec. 10-7.522) and pool safety barriers (at least four feet under Florida's pool safety law).

In unincorporated Leon County, no building permit is generally required for a residential fence - DSEM states the Florida Building Code does not regulate residential fences. Zoning, setback, buffer, and floodplain approvals can still apply, and pool safety barriers are inspected. Permitting is handled by DSEM, 435 N. Macomb Street, Tallahassee, (850) 606-1300.

Unincorporated Leon County's Land Development Code imposes no general material restriction on residential fences - no prohibited-materials list and no barbed-wire ban in Chapter 10. Material standards apply only to required buffer fences, which under Sec. 10-7.522(c) must be solid, opaque, durable, and consistent with surrounding neighborhoods, finished on the side facing the less-intensive use.

Unincorporated Leon County does not require fencing around ordinary homes, but Sec. 10-7.522 requires a buffer fence when a non-residential use is adjacent to existing single-family or manufactured/mobile-home use. Swimming pools must be in side or rear yards (Sec. 10-6.802) and need a safety barrier of at least four feet under Florida's pool safety law.

Unincorporated Leon County sets a maximum grass height of 18 inches under the Lot Mowing Ordinance (Code of Laws Ordinance 04-11, amended by Ordinance 04-41). Grass exceeding 18 inches is a code-compliance violation handled by the Department of Development Support & Environmental Management.

Unincorporated Leon County controls weeds and overgrowth through its Lot Mowing Ordinance (04-11, amended 04-41), which caps grass and weeds at 18 inches in height. Overgrown vegetation above that limit is a code-compliance nuisance enforced by the Department of Development Support & Environmental Management.

Residential pool safety in unincorporated Leon County is governed by Florida law, not a county-specific ordinance. Florida Statutes Chapter 515 (Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act) requires each new pool to have at least one approved safety feature — a 4-foot barrier, an approved safety pool cover, exit alarms, self-closing/self-latching doors, or an ASTM-certified pool alarm.

A building permit is required before constructing or installing any residential swimming pool, spa, or hot tub in unincorporated Leon County. Permits are issued and inspected by the county's Development Support and Environmental Management (DSEM), Building Plans Review and Inspection division, which enforces the Florida Building Code adopted in the Code of Laws.

Pool barrier rules in unincorporated Leon County are set by the Florida Building Code (Residential), which the county adopts. A barrier at least 48 inches (4 feet) high must surround the pool, with openings that won't pass a 4-inch sphere and self-closing, self-latching gates that open away from the pool.

In unincorporated Leon County a building permit is required for sheds over 100 square feet. Even permit-exempt sheds must still meet the zoning district's setbacks and location rules under the Land Development Code, and placement is reviewed by DSEM for setbacks, easements, and floodplain.

Leon County's 2023 ADU ordinance (Ord. No. 23-12, amending LDC Sec. 10-6.803) allows one accessory dwelling unit in all zoning districts. A detached ADU on a single-family lot may not exceed 800 sq ft (or 5% of the lot) and is exempt from density calculations. ADUs require a Residential Compliance Certificate and a recorded affidavit.

In unincorporated Leon County, blighted conditions such as accumulated junk, trash, debris, and abandoned vehicles are handled as code-compliance nuisances by the Department of Development Support & Environmental Management. There is no single fixed dollar threshold; the County pursues voluntary compliance first, then refers unresolved cases to the Code Enforcement Board.

Unincorporated Leon County requires vacant and unimproved lots to be maintained the same as occupied property. The Lot Mowing Ordinance (04-11, as amended by 04-41) requires that grass and weeds not exceed 18 inches in height, and junk/debris on vacant land is enforced as a code-compliance nuisance.

In unincorporated Leon County there is no single countywide setback. Required front, side, and rear yards are set by the zoning district in the Land Development Code (Ch. 10, Art. VI). In the common Residential Preservation district, setbacks match the surrounding subdivision rather than a fixed number.

Leon County's main residential zoning districts do not set a single maximum lot-coverage percentage. Instead, how much of a lot can be covered is controlled through density limits and the Environmental Management Act's stormwater and impervious-surface review (LDC Ch. 10, Art. IV), applied at permit/site-plan stage.

Unincorporated Leon County enforces a Floodplain Management Ordinance (Section 10-8 of the Code of Laws) implementing FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program, and applies the Florida Building Code to flood-zone construction. The County is a CRS Class 5 community, earning a 25% flood-insurance premium discount for unincorporated policyholders.

Unincorporated Leon County regulates stormwater under the Land Development Code, Chapter 10, Article IV (Environmental Management). Section 10-4.303 requires stormwater facilities to control runoff for storms up to and including the 25-year event and to remain completely functional during the 25-year flood. Most development requires a stormwater permit from DSEM.

Topographic grade changes in unincorporated Leon County are regulated development requiring an Environmental Management permit from DSEM. The Land Development Code (Chapter 10) identifies significant grades (>10% to <20%) and severe grades (>20%) as protected natural features, and restricts grade changes within flood zones under Section 10-4.327(3).

Unincorporated Leon County requires erosion and sedimentation control as part of its Environmental Management permitting under the Land Development Code (Chapter 10, Article IV). Best Management Practices must be shown on the site plan for properties within Special Development Zones, and roadway access stabilization is required to prevent erosion, sedimentation and water-quality problems in surface waters.