Clearwater, FL

Beekeeping in Clearwater is governed by Florida Statute 586, which preempts most local regulation; registered hives are allowed in residential yards subject to FDACS Best Management…

Clearwater enforces Chapter 8 sanitation and cruelty rules with Florida Statute 828.12 to address animal hoarding, allowing seizure when conditions endanger animals or neighbors.

Clearwater enforces Florida Statute 379.412 and FWC rules under Chapter 68A-4 prohibiting feeding of bears, alligators, sandhill cranes, pelicans, raccoons, and similar wildlife.

Clearwater cannot restrict dogs by breed under Florida Statute 767.14 as amended in 2023, but enforces individual dangerous-dog rules under Chapter 8 based on behavior.

Clearwater outright bans keeping any animal that is wild and untamed by nature, along with bees and reptiles, anywhere in the city, public or private. Sec. 8.03 gives no exception for…

Clearwater bans keeping fowl or livestock, including horses, cows, sheep, hogs and calves, on any property unless the use fits a listed exception. Chickens are allowed only under the…

Clearwater bans letting a dog, horse, cow or other pet wander on public streets or someone else's property, and prohibits leaving one tied up unattended on public streets, parks or…

Pinellas County doesn't mandate spay/neuter for every pet, but a dog impounded twice for running at-large within 24 months must be sterilized before its second redemption, and all…

No new pet store can open to retail-sell dogs or cats in Pinellas County; only commercial establishments already operating before January 1, 2022 can hold a retail sales permit.

Veterinary offices in unincorporated Pinellas County that sit next to a residential district must fence outdoor exercise areas with a six-foot opaque wall or fence, keep those areas at…

Sec. 14-37 lets caregivers register community cats in unincorporated Pinellas County under a trap-neuter-vaccinate-return program. A sterilized, rabies-vaccinated, ear-tipped cat cared…

Pinellas County has no general pet microchip law, but every registered guard dog used by a guard service in the county must be permanently identified by microchip implantation.

Florida Statute 500.80 preempts local regulation of cottage food operations, allowing Clearwater residents to make and sell certain non-potentially hazardous foods from home up to…

Family day care homes in Clearwater follow Florida Statute 402.313, which sets registration, training, screening, and inspection rules, while the Community Development Code allows them…

Pinellas County lets a home-based business operate by-right in any residential zoning district, per Code § 138-3218(c)(1), without special licensing beyond what any other business…

Unincorporated Pinellas County bars any signage rule for a home-based business that is stricter than what applies to an ordinary residence with no business at all.

Clearwater does not impose an annual night cap, because Florida Statute 509.032(7)(b) preempts cities adopted after June 1, 2011 from limiting the frequency or duration of vacation…

Before renting any home, condo or apartment in Clearwater for less than 30 days, the owner must obtain a city business tax receipt under section 29.30 of the Code. Short-term rentals…

Clearwater requires a city business tax receipt for any single-family home, duplex, condo, townhouse, apartment, hotel room or bed-and-breakfast rented for less than 30 days. Appendix…

Short-term rentals in unincorporated Pinellas County must provide one off-street parking space per bedroom, with no on-street or grass parking under Sec. 138-3232.

Pinellas County caps short-term rental occupancy at two persons per bedroom plus two in a common area, not exceeding ten people, under Sec. 138-3232.

Pinellas County requires every unincorporated short term rental to designate one responsible party under Code § 138-3232(g)(5), reachable by phone 24 hours a day to handle inspections…

Short term rentals in unincorporated Pinellas County must observe quiet hours from 10:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. daily under Code § 138-3232(g)(3), or a stricter hour if the county's general…

Clearwater's open-fire permit requirement does not apply to backyard fire pits, grills or exterior fireplaces: Sec. 17.06(1)(b) defines those devices out of the "open fire" category…

Clearwater requires a fire department permit before anyone starts an open fire on their own or someone else's property. Sec. 17.06 puts the fire chief or fire marshal in charge of…

Clearwater follows Florida Building Code Residential Section R314 and Florida Statute 553.883 for smoke alarms, plus the Florida Fire Prevention Code adopted under F.S. 633.202 and…

Selling, exposing for sale, using or exploding fireworks anywhere in Pinellas County is illegal under Code § 62-85(a) except for narrow exemptions in state law or a county…

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

Clearwater treats a tree, shrub, or object on a parkway or private property near a street intersection as an unlawful nuisance if it blocks a driver's sightline. The city manager can…

Clearwater encourages Florida-friendly landscaping with native plant species that conserve water and support pollinators, and Florida Statute 373.185 prohibits both city ordinances and…

Removing, effectively removing or transplanting a protected tree anywhere in Pinellas County, incorporated or unincorporated, needs a county tree permit under Code § 58-813(b)…

In unincorporated Pinellas County, Sec. 58-331 bars letting weeds, plant material or debris grow or pile up untended when it breeds vermin, creates a fire hazard or blocks a road's…

Unincorporated Pinellas County lets multi-family developments count rainwater harvesting systems toward up to half of their required common open space, if the systems follow LID…

Pinellas County enforces twice-weekly to once-weekly irrigation rules tied to Southwest Florida Water Management District phases, with $193 first-violation citations doubling per…

Building, repairing, paving or grading a driveway anywhere in Clearwater requires a permit from the building director under City Code Sec. 28.40. In business zones, curb cuts are…

Clearwater requires every parked vehicle to sit parallel with the curb, headed in the direction of traffic, with its curbside wheels within 12 inches of the edge of the street. Parking…

Clearwater has no blanket citywide overnight parking ban. Instead, City Code Section 30.046 lets the city post signs in specific blocks or public lots setting a maximum parking…

Clearwater limits marked passenger zones to expeditious pickup and drop-off of riders only, capping stops at three minutes, and marked loading zones to actual freight loading or…

Clearwater bars any commercial vehicle from being parked or stored on the public street right-of-way directly next to a residentially zoned property. City Code Section 30.054(1)(e)…

Clearwater prohibits parking or storing any boat, boat trailer, hauling trailer, travel trailer, motor home, or camping trailer on the public street right-of-way next to a…

Clearwater makes it unlawful to keep, store, park, or leave an inoperative vehicle on public property, including street right-of-way, for more than 24 hours. City Code Section 30.055…

In unincorporated Pinellas County, every accessible parking space must be outlined in blue paint and posted with an above-grade disabled-parking sign, kept repainted by the property…

Unincorporated Pinellas County treats EV charging stations as an optional site element for any development, including multifamily projects: there is no mandate to install them.

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…

Clearwater bans anyone from building or repairing a barbed wire fence next to a street, alley or sidewalk under City Code § 28.06. The rule targets barbed wire specifically at the…

Any seawall, bulkhead or retaining wall built or altered on or next to Pinellas County waters, other than the open Gulf, must meet detailed concrete, aluminum or wood specifications…

In unincorporated Pinellas County, residential fences max out at 6 feet in side and rear setbacks and 3 feet in front setbacks, with taller decorative styles allowed under specific…

In unincorporated Pinellas County, residential fences are capped at 6 feet in side and rear yards (8 feet for decorative fences on arterial/collector frontages) and 3 feet in front…

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…

Constructing, installing, or substantially altering a residential swimming pool, spa, or hot tub in Clearwater requires a building permit and inspections through the city Building…

Clearwater enforces Florida's Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act requiring a 4-foot barrier, self-closing gates, or alternative safety features on every new residential pool before…

Clearwater allows one accessory dwelling unit per conforming residential lot under Article 3, capped at 750 square feet or 50 percent of the principal dwelling, whichever is less.

Unincorporated Pinellas County treats a storage shed as a stand-alone, non-inhabitable structure up to 200 square feet. Sheds 12 feet tall or less can sit as close as 3 feet from the…

Unincorporated Pinellas has no general tiny-home ordinance. Tiny homes are permitted only inside a special-exception redevelopment of a legally nonconforming mobile home park in a…

Pinellas County requires that either the primary house or the accessory dwelling unit on a single-family lot be owner-occupied before an ADU can operate, per Code § 138-3210(c)(1)c…

A dog or cat that repeatedly howls, barks or whines qualifies as a "public nuisance animal" under Pinellas County code, and Animal Services can cite the owner regardless of intent.

Playing a radio, boombox, stereo or musical instrument loud enough to be 'unreasonably loud and raucous' violates Pinellas County Code § 58-445(1) anywhere the county's noise article…

Unincorporated Pinellas County limits industrial noise to 72 dBA and commercial noise to 66 dBA at the property line, dropping to 66 and 60 dBA where the source adjoins a residential…

In unincorporated Pinellas County, residential noise cannot exceed 55 dBA at the property line during quiet hours, before 7 a.m. or after 11 p.m. daily, absent a county-approved waiver.

Pinellas County bars noisy construction between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. on weekdays and Saturdays, and all day Sunday, capping equipment noise at 55 dBA at the nearest residential property…

Clearwater allows licensed Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers in any zoning district that permits pharmacies, as required by Florida Statute 381.986(11), and bans recreational…

Home cultivation of cannabis is illegal in Clearwater under Florida Statute 381.986, which limits qualified patients to purchases from licensed Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers only.

Clearwater honors posted no-soliciting signs under Code Chapter 23, making continued contact after notice a trespass while protecting residents from unwanted door-to-door sales.

Going door to door in Clearwater to sell goods, services or real estate, or to canvass for orders, requires a solicitor's permit from the chief of police under Sec. 23.32. Applicants…

Clearwater bans any discharge into the city stormwater system that is not composed entirely of stormwater, with limited exceptions like firefighting flows and lawn irrigation…

Any utility digging in Clearwater's rights-of-way must follow the erosion and sediment controls in City Code Sec. 28.95. Storm sewer inlets must stay protected from siltation at all…

New buildings in unincorporated Pinellas County's coastal high hazard and Coastal A zones must be elevated one to two feet above base flood elevation, per the county's local Florida…

Building any dock or other obstruction to navigation in Pinellas County's waters, from Tampa Bay to Lake Tarpon, requires a county permit under Code § 58-543(a). Docks must maintain at…

Chapter 158 applies to flood hazard areas across unincorporated Pinellas County and county-jurisdiction property elsewhere, based on FEMA's August 24, 2021 flood insurance study and…

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

Clearwater bans drinking alcohol or carrying an open container on public beaches, streets, sidewalks, parking lots and rights-of-way, and within 500 feet of any bar unless you are…

Clearwater bars anyone, after a police warning, from willfully blocking sidewalks, curbs, bike paths, the Pinellas County Trail, malls or building entrances. City Code § 21.11(2) folds…

Clearwater makes it a crime to beg with intent to intimidate. City Code § 21.17 defines begging broadly, covering oral or written requests for money, goods or gifts, and bars conduct…

Clearwater bans smoking and vaping on every public beach and city-owned park under § 22.32, covering e-cigarettes and lighted tobacco except unfiltered cigars. A violation is a class…

Clearwater bans skateboarding, roller skating and in-line skating in specific public locations under City Code § 28.11, including parking garages, handicap access ramps, and any…

Clearwater bans willfully obstructing the free use of sidewalks, curbs, the Pinellas County Trail or building entrances after a law enforcement officer has issued a warning. Sec…

Clearwater's § 21.21 bans lodging out-of-doors, tents, shelters or sleeping bedding, on public property, but only after a police warning and an offer of free shelter space. Arrest is…

Clearwater picks up residential garbage once a week on a regularly scheduled day, never on Saturdays, Sundays, or holidays, under a schedule that took effect January 11, 2016…

Clearwater requires residential garbage and recycling carts to sit at the curbline, at least ten feet from any structure or parked vehicle, and never inside the street or alley…

Clearwater requires loose yard waste to go out in a bag or a solid waste-approved container, never mixed into the city-issued refuse or recycling carts. Branches and palm fronds must…

Commercial dumpsters in Clearwater must sit inside an enclosure built so the waste receptacle isn't visible from ground level, with a gate wide enough to give a front-end loading…

Dumping solid waste anywhere outside the collection methods Clearwater's code defines is illegal and can trigger investigation and prosecution under Sec. 32.283. The same section…

Clearwater provides curbside recycling once a week to homes, offices and hotel/motel units on rearloader or sideloader routes, with the container itself furnished by the city under…

Clearwater's bulk and large-item pickup rules sit in City Code Sec. 32.282. Tree surgeons, landscapers and lawn services must haul away their own job debris rather than dump it…

Clearwater Code Section 32.281 establishes once-weekly residential garbage collection with set-out windows the night before and removal by the morning after the scheduled day.

Most Clearwater parks close at sunset and reopen at sunrise under City Code § 22.24. Each park must post its hours, and entering or staying in a closed park is unlawful without a…

Clearwater enforces juvenile curfew rules adopted by reference from Florida Statutes Sec. 877.20 through 877.24, restricting minors in public places during overnight and certain…

Clearwater bans open fires, grills, or any cooking or heating device on public beaches and the Courtney Campbell Recreation Area under § 22.33(7), with no permit exception. Grilling is…

Tattoo parlors in Clearwater pay a $127.50 city business tax receipt under Appendix A section 100.000, and the classification is flagged with Notes C and D plus a direct citation to…

Operating a pawn shop in Clearwater requires a city business tax receipt costing $420.70 under Appendix A section 078.000, one of the highest fees on the schedule, because pawnbrokers…

Selling antiques or used merchandise in Clearwater requires a $69.80 city business tax receipt under Appendix A section 070.060, and Note B attached to that classification means the…

Unincorporated Pinellas County does not license or regulate massage establishments locally. The county code defers entirely to Florida's Board of Massage Therapy and Chapter 480 of the…

Before booting or trespass-towing a vehicle from private property in Pinellas County, a towing service must have a written agreement with the property owner covering fees, hours and a…

Unincorporated Pinellas requires a license and permit for every adult use establishment and bars locating one within 400 feet of residential zoning, churches, schools, child care…

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…

Clearwater bars drones, along with airplanes, helicopters and other aircraft, from taking off or landing on park land, water or public beach areas without written city authorization…

Commercial drone work in Clearwater requires an FAA Part 107 remote pilot certificate, compliance with Florida statutes 330.41 and 934.50, and county park permission for any takeoff or…

Recreational drone flights in Clearwater follow FAA Part 107 hobby rules, but Pinellas County prohibits takeoff and landing on county parks and beaches without prior permission.

Clearwater bans selling any goods, wares or merchandise on a public street, right-of-way, sidewalk or park under City Code § 28.04, with one narrow carve-out for licensed ice cream…

Clearwater bans selling or peddling from any vehicle, including trucks, vans, wagons and pushcarts, across Cleveland Street, the Memorial Causeway, all land south of Clearwater Pass…

Mobile food trucks and carts that only stop briefly in unincorporated Pinellas County can set up as an accessory to a construction site, an approved nonresidential use or event, on an…

Clearwater sidewalks sit in city-owned right-of-way, so the city itself does the repair work under § 27.10, then bills the abutting property owner only for materials when an existing…

Anyone who wants to build, repair, pave or grade a sidewalk, curb, curb cut, driveway or parkway on a Clearwater public street must first get a permit from the building director under…

Clearwater makes it unlawful to obstruct a sidewalk by standing or congregating there for the purpose of blocking pedestrian traffic, under City Code § 28.09. The rule targets…

Clearwater bans irrigation with reclaimed (recycled) water between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. every day of the week under Sec. 32.383, a daytime restriction meant to conserve the…

Any landlord operating a single-family home, duplex, apartment, condo or banquet hall for lease in Clearwater must hold a city business tax receipt, whether the lease runs 30 days or…

Florida law flatly bars Clearwater and every other city or county in the state from adopting rent control. Fla. Stat. § 166.043(2) voids any ordinance, rule, or other measure that…

Pinellas County dwelling units let for occupancy must have all electrical fixtures, receptacles and wiring maintained safely and connected to power per the county's adopted electrical…

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…

Florida's Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, Chapter 83 Part II, exclusively defines lawful eviction grounds and procedures statewide, preempting cities from adding just-cause…

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…

Clearwater bans e-scooter and micromobility rental operations citywide unless the provider holds a city-issued shared mobility device license under a pilot program or signed operating…

Clearwater's transportation code defines an e-bike as a bicycle with an electric helper motor capped at 20 mph (Sec. 25.01), bars anyone under 16 from operating a micromobility device…

Pinellas County bans using a designated bicycle lane for anything except riding a bicycle in the same direction as traffic, on any county road whether it runs through a municipality or…

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…

Any parade, march, rally or other special event on Clearwater's streets, parks or beaches needs a permit from the city manager under Sec. 22.81. Organizers must apply 30 days to 12…

In unincorporated Pinellas County's parks and preserves, a Department of Parks and Conservation Resources permit is required before anyone can camp, erect a bounce house, hold a…

Promoters of outdoor musical or entertainment festivals anywhere in Pinellas County, incorporated or unincorporated, must obtain a county permit at least 90 days before the event and…

Clearwater requires every new building, and any existing building undergoing major repairs, to be ratproofed under Sec. 24.22, and holds business buildings to a ratproof, rat-free…

Pinellas County authorizes a contracted, single-operator sterile needle and syringe exchange program under F.S. § 381.0038(4). The operator exchanges used needles one-for-one at fixed…

Florida Statute 163.04 protects Clearwater homeowners from HOA prohibitions on solar panels, allowing associations only to set reasonable location requirements that do not impair…

Solar energy systems are an allowed accessory use throughout unincorporated Pinellas County, but they must meet district lot-size and setback rules, plus extra height and glare…

Buildings inside the Downtown Palm Harbor Form-Based District must follow county-adopted design standards, building form, materials and storefront rules, enforced through the county's…

Pinellas County lets affordable housing developments earn a density bonus and development-standard flexibility during review, per Code § 138-3211(c)(2)a, provided the project is…

Sec. 26-37 sets the physical-plant rules a Pinellas County children's center must meet: local building, electrical and fire code compliance, plus numeric space ratios for indoor play…

Unincorporated Pinellas County requires a permit for any construction, alteration, or renovation activity covered by the Florida Building Code before work begins; skipping the permit…

Under the county's Housing Code, the housing official, the Pinellas County Code Enforcement Division manager, can inspect any dwelling, dwelling unit, rooming unit or premises for…

Every Pinellas County short term rental must meet the smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector requirements of the Florida Building Code and the manufacturer's specifications before it…

Unincorporated Pinellas County caps low-frequency bass noise at 65 dB in the 31.5 to 500 Hertz octave bands whenever it's detectable on a neighboring parcel.

Bars, nightclubs and other commercial-zone businesses in Pinellas County can't exceed 66 dBA against a residential zone from 7 a.m.-11 p.m., dropping to 55 dBA overnight, under Sec…

Generators and similar equipment that must run around the clock near homes in Pinellas County need an acoustical enclosure during quiet hours unless they stay under 55 dBA, per Sec…

Unincorporated Pinellas County caps noise from a residential air conditioning, heating or ventilating unit at 60 dBA, measured at the nearest adjacent property line, at any time of…

Pinellas County levies a 6 percent tourist development tax on rentals of 6 months or less at hotels, motels, condos, timeshares, RV parks and mobile home parks, countywide including…

Unincorporated Pinellas County inspects every short-term rental before its first certificate of use and again every two years at renewal, checking life-safety compliance with bedroom…

Unincorporated Pinellas County only allows off-premises billboards on industrial-zoned land fronting I-275 or other federal-aid highways, capped at 50 feet tall and spaced at least…

In unincorporated Pinellas County, temporary window signs on commercial and office buildings can cover up to 25% of the windowpane or 100 square feet, whichever is smaller.

Unincorporated Pinellas County bars new off-premises signs, billboards, from adding electronic changeable message displays, with narrow exceptions for legally existing signs converted…

Unincorporated Pinellas County treats yard political signs as temporary signs: event-related signs must come down within three days, and all others within 30 days of being erected.

In the unincorporated county's R-1 Single-Family district, homes must sit back 20 feet from the front lot line, 6 feet from interior side lines, 10 feet from a side street, and 10 feet…

In unincorporated Pinellas County's R-1 Single-Family Residential District, Code § 138-368.1 caps the impervious surface ratio at 0.75 of net lot area for residential development. That…

Pinellas County measures building height from average existing grade, and lets chimneys, towers and flagpoles rise up to 20 feet above the zoning district's height limit.

In unincorporated Pinellas County, the Board of County Commissioners designates a property as a landmark, landmark site, or historic district only when it meets the…

Unincorporated Pinellas County bans outdoor lighting that lets glare or light trespass, unwanted light crossing a property line, reach an abutting property. Street lights, government…

Unincorporated Pinellas County requires full cut-off outdoor light fixtures, ones with no direct uplight, on walkways, parking lots, canopies and building or wall mounts. Fixture…

Unincorporated Pinellas County requires any electronic billboard operator to agree in writing to follow whatever luminance and illuminance limits the county sets, now or in the future…

Pinellas County's Land Development Code treats commercial farming, raising crops, livestock, poultry or dairy for sale, as its own zoning use under § 138-3330, separate from backyard…

Florida Statute 823.14, the Florida Right to Farm Act, protects established bona fide farm operations from nuisance suits and local ordinances that would inhibit standard agricultural…

Trees rated "Excellent" under the county's grading system, including those with historical significance or rare species, get the strictest removal limits: only for lot access, utility…

Trees with a trunk 4+ inches DBH, palms 6+ feet tall, and homestead-exempt residential trees over 24 inches DBH are protected countywide and can't be removed without a permit.

In unincorporated Pinellas County, Code § 58-304 makes it illegal to let garbage, refuse, rubbish, junk or debris accumulate, or to let weeds and other plant material grow untended, on…

In unincorporated Pinellas County (and cities without their own housing code), the county's housing official can order a hazardous or blighted structure secured, repaired, or…

Unincorporated Pinellas County lets any residential property hold up to four garage or yard sales a year, each capped at three days, under Land Development Code § 138-3356(c)(3). A…

Commercial filming and events facilitated by the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Convention & Visitors Bureau on county property require a permit issued by the county administrator or…

Unincorporated Pinellas County bans planting Tier 1 nuisance and invasive plant species and requires their removal during site development, redevelopment, or new construction.

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…

Under Fla. Stat. § 720.3085, unpaid assessments become a lien on a parcel, and the homeowners' association may foreclose like a mortgage. Before recording the lien the association must…

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, §…

Under Fla. Stat. §§ 720.303 and 720.3035, a Florida HOA enforces its recorded covenants and architectural standards, but only where authority is stated or reasonably inferred in the…

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…

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…