5 rules for unincorporated Marion County, Florida.
Verified from official government sources
Marion County has no countywide numeric grass-height ordinance for unincorporated property. Overgrown lots are addressed mainly through Florida's sanitary-nuisance law (Fla. Stat. 386.01) and, in many subdivisions, through Municipal Service Taxing/Benefit Units (MSTUs/MSBUs) that fund roadside and lot mowing.
Fla. Stat. 386.01 (2024) - Sanitary nuisance
386.01 Sanitary nuisance.-A sanitary nuisance is the commission of any act, by an individual, municipality, organization, or corporation, or the keeping, maintaining, propagation, existence, or permission of anything, by an individual, municipality, organization, or corporation, by which the health or life of an individual, or the health or lives of individuals, may be threatened or impaired, o...
A tree removal permit from the County's Landscape Architect is required to remove any Regulated Tree in unincorporated Marion County, except for exempt activities. Individual single-family and duplex parcels and bona fide agricultural land are exempt from the tree-removal rules.
Marion County, FL, Land Development Code, Art. 6, Div. 7, Sec. 6.7.5 (Ord. No. 13-20, 7-11-2013; Ord. No. 17-08, 4-11-2017)
Sec. 6.7.5. Tree trimming and tree removal permit. ... B. A tree removal permit shall be required for the removal of any Regulated Tree except for exempt activities as outlined in Section 6.7.2. A tree removal permit shall be obtained from the County's Landscape Architect or their designee prior to any site clearing, grading, or for any construction which requires a permit from the Marion Count...
Marion County has no general numeric weed-height ordinance for unincorporated private property; weed and dead-vegetation overgrowth is handled through Florida's sanitary-nuisance statute and complaint-based code enforcement. The Land Development Code does require removal of UF/IFAS-listed prohibited/invasive plant species.
Marion County, FL, Land Development Code, Art. 6, Div. 7, Sec. 6.7.2.M (Ord. No. 13-20, 7-11-2013)
Sec. 6.7.2. Exceptions. The preservation and replacement of trees and protected plant species shall apply to all development with the following exceptions: ... M. Removal of exotic or nuisance tree or plant species as listed by the UF/IFAS Assessment of Non-native Plants, "Prohibited" or "Invasive - Not Recommended" tables, as updated.
Most of unincorporated Marion County is governed by the St. Johns River Water Management District's year-round landscape irrigation schedule, which limits watering days by address, prohibits watering between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and caps application at three-quarters inch and one hour per zone per allowed day.
St. Johns River Water Management District, Year-Round Landscape Irrigation Schedule (Marion County); cf. Marion County LDC Art. 6, Div. 9, Sec. 6.9 (no more than 0.75 inch / one hour per zone per day)
St. Johns River Water Management District (Marion County): Odd-numbered or no address: Saturday. Even-numbered address: Sunday. Nonresidential: Tuesday. Hours: not between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Amount: Maximum of three-quarters inch per zone and no more than one hour per zone. [During Daylight Saving Time the allowable days expand to two days per week per the same schedule.] Low-volume systems suc...
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