Landscaping Rules in Spring Hill, FL (2026)
7 verified landscaping rules for Spring Hill, Florida, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Grass Height Limits
Spring Hill is an unincorporated CDP in Hernando County, so Hernando County Code Enforcement is the regulator. County ordinance makes it unlawful to allow grass or weeds to grow more than 18 inches tall (excluding seed pods) on any parcel within 100 feet of improved property, with exceptions for parcels zoned Agricultural (A/R, A/R1, A/R2), County 2.5, or Conservation. Owners receive a 20-day notice; if they fail to mow, a County-contracted contractor mows and the cost plus administrative fees is billed and ultimately liened against the property.
Spring Hill / Hernando County 18-Inch Grass & Weed Height Limit
Some RestrictionsTree Trimming
On a single-family residential lot in unincorporated Spring Hill / Hernando County, Florida Statute 163.045 prevents the County from requiring a notice, application, approval, permit, fee, or mitigation to prune, trim, or remove a tree if the owner has on-site documentation from an ISA-certified arborist or Florida-licensed landscape architect that the tree poses an unacceptable risk under ISA Best Management Practices — Tree Risk Assessment, Second Edition (2017). Routine ornamental pruning on private residential property is otherwise unregulated by the County, but ANSI A300 standards are recommended.
Spring Hill Tree Trimming — FS 163.045 Arborist Exemption (Hernando County)
Few RestrictionsTree Removal & Heritage Trees
Hernando County Code Chapter 10 (Community Appearance), Article II (Landscaping) governs tree removal in unincorporated Spring Hill. A Land Clearing Permit is required before clearing under § 10-22, and Specimen trees (18-inch DBH or greater) and Majestic trees (36-inch DBH or greater) must be preserved unless the County Administrator finds one of the listed mitigating conditions (immediate safety hazard, infestation, property damage). Florida Statute 163.045 preempts the County permit on a single-family residential lot when the owner has on-site ISA-certified arborist documentation that the tree is dangerous.
Spring Hill Tree Removal — Hernando County Ch. 10 Art. II + FS 163.045
Some RestrictionsWeed Ordinances
Hernando County Code Enforcement enforces the 18-inch grass and weed height limit on any parcel within 100 feet of improved property in unincorporated Spring Hill, with exceptions only for Agricultural (A/R, A/R1, A/R2), County 2.5, and Conservation zoning. Violations are corrected by County-contracted abatement billed to and ultimately liened against the property. State-listed noxious weeds remain under FDACS authority (FS Chapter 581) in parallel.
Hernando County Nuisance Vegetation & Weed Control (Spring Hill)
Some RestrictionsWater Restrictions
Spring Hill is in unincorporated Hernando County, served by Hernando County Utilities and the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD). Hernando County's local ordinance (Code of Ordinances Chapter 28, Article XI) is more restrictive than SWFWMD's two-day year-round standard: irrigation is limited to ONE day per week year-round, with watering allowed only between 12:01 AM-4:00 AM OR 8:00 PM-11:59 PM on the assigned day. SWFWMD is currently in Modified Phase III Extreme Water Shortage through July 1, 2026, which aligns with — and does not relax — the County rule.
Spring Hill Watering — Hernando County One-Day-Per-Week Year-Round (SWFWMD)
Heavy RestrictionsNative Plants
Florida Statute 373.185 establishes Florida-Friendly Landscaping (FFL) as a protected statewide policy. Neither Hernando County nor an HOA in Spring Hill may prohibit a property owner from implementing FFL on their land. Spring Hill / Hernando County sits in SWFWMD's service area, and the UF/IFAS Florida-Friendly Landscaping Program (Gainesville) publishes the official nine FFL principles. HOAs may apply reasonable architectural review for aesthetics but cannot ban FFL outright.
Florida-Friendly Landscaping in Spring Hill (FS 373.185)
Few RestrictionsArtificial Turf
Hernando County's Code of Ordinances does not prohibit artificial turf on residential property in Spring Hill, and no County landscape permit is required to install it on a single-family lot. Florida-Friendly Landscaping (FS 373.185) protects living, water-wise landscapes from HOA bans but does NOT extend to artificial turf — so HOAs in Timber Pines, Wellington at Seven Hills, Silverthorn, and other Spring Hill communities may still adopt reasonable rules limiting it. New developments must still meet Chapter 10, Article II live-plant landscape buffer and tree-count requirements.
Artificial Turf in Spring Hill — Allowed on Private Lots; HOA Rules Govern
Few RestrictionsLooking for Hernando County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Spring Hill city rules.
Landscaping Rules in Hernando County →