Landscaping Rules in Miami-Dade County, FL (2026)

7 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 8 cities in Miami-Dade County, Florida.

Verified from official government sources

Note: These county rules apply to unincorporated areas of Miami-Dade County. If you live within an incorporated city, that city's own rules apply: see the city list below.

Tree Trimming

Tree trimming in Miami-Dade County does not require a permit if done per ANSI A-300 standards. However, excessive pruning such as hat-racking, topping, or lion-tailing that effectively destroys a tree violates Section 24-49.

Miami-Dade County Tree Trimming Regulations

Some Restrictions

Miami-Dade County Code § 24-49 (Tree Trimming)

A tree removal/relocation permit is not required for the proper pruning or trimming of trees, provided the pruning is done according to the most recent American National Standards (ANSI) A-300 Standard Practices for Tree Care Operations. However, excessive or improper pruning of the tree's canopy (i.e. hat-racking, topping, lion-tailing, etc.) and other activities (i.e. trunk girdling, excessiv...

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Tree Removal & Heritage Trees

A DERM permit is required to remove or destroy most trees countywide, but yard trees at an existing single-family home are exempt unless they're specimen trees.

Miami-Dade Tree Removal Permit Rule

Some Restrictions

Miami-Dade County Code § 24-49

It shall be unlawful for any person, unless otherwise permitted by the terms of this section, to do tree removal work or to effectively destroy any tree... without first obtaining a permit from the Department. ... The following activities are exempt from tree removal permits: (a) Removal of trees within the yard area of an existing single-family residence, provided the trees are not within a na...

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Weed Ordinances

Unincorporated Miami-Dade County caps grass and weeds at 12 inches on residential lots and 18 inches on nonresidential lots, with Team Metro issuing warning notices and civil citations for violations.

Miami-Dade Weed and Overgrowth Height Limits

Some Restrictions

Miami-Dade County Code § 19-13(A)

it shall be the responsibility of the responsible party for any lot in a residential-zoned district that is within 330 feet of a residential structure to regularly maintain their property to prevent the following: ... The growth or accumulation of any grass, weeds, non-native undergrowth or other dead plant life that exceeds the height of twelve (12) inches from the ground for more than ten (10...

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Water Restrictions

Miami-Dade County bans landscape irrigation from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily and limits sprinkler use to two assigned days a week by address number.

Miami-Dade Odd/Even Watering Days

Some Restrictions

Miami-Dade County Code § 32-8.2

It shall be unlawful for any user to irrigate...any residential, commercial, institutional, governmental or industrial landscaping areas between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. daily...An Even-Numbered Address...shall only conduct necessary landscape irrigation on Thursday and/or Sunday. Odd-Numbered Addresses shall only conduct necessary landscape irrigation on Wednesday and/or Saturday.

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Rainwater Harvesting

Miami-Dade County's year-round landscape irrigation rule sets fixed watering days by address and bans irrigation from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, but rain barrels, cisterns and similar rain-harvesting devices are carved out entirely. County Code § 32-8.2(d)(ii)(6) lets any landscaping be watered with a rain barrel, cistern or rain-harvesting device, plus low-volume or micro-irrigation and hand watering, on any day or at any hour, with no permit needed.

Miami-Dade Exempts Rain Barrels From Watering Days

Few Restrictions

Miami-Dade County Code § 32-8.2(d)(ii)(6)

(6)Any landscaping may be irrigated using low volume irrigation, micro-irrigation, or low-volume hand watering methods including but not limited to the use of rain barrels, cisterns, or other similar rain-harvesting devices without regard to the watering days or times allowed pursuant to this section.

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Native Plants

Miami-Dade's landscape code excludes native and very drought-tolerant groundcover from the maximum lawn-area cap and lets native species meet up to 30% of required tree plantings, favoring native landscaping on new and permitted development countywide.

Miami-Dade County Native Plant Landscaping Incentives

Few Restrictions

Miami-Dade County Code § 18A-6(A)(5)

In municipalities, the maximum amount of lawn area for residential and mixed uses shall be limited to a maximum of sixty (60) percent of the landscaped open space required in the individual municipal code(s)... Very drought tolerant grasses and low growing native plant species, including grasses and forbs, as referenced in the Landscape Manual, may be used as groundcover beyond the maximum perm...

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Composting

Miami-Dade County's Responsible Property Owner and Merchant Act defines "solid waste" to exclude "yard trash (except for compost piles)," so a backyard compost pile does not count as prohibited waste accumulation under Section 19-3(Q). Large-scale composting is regulated separately: Chapter 15 requires any "community composting facility" to hold an operating permit as a resource recovery and management facility under Section 15-18.

Miami-Dade Compost Piles Exempt From Waste Rules

Few Restrictions

Miami-Dade County Code § 19-3(Q)

(Q)Solid waste. Garbage, trash, yard trash (except for compost piles), litter, cuttings from vegetation, refuse, paper, bottles, rags, hazardous waste, construction and demolition debris, industrial waste, or other discarded materials, including material or containers from domestic, commercial or agricultural operations, as defined in Chapter 15, Dade County Code.

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