8 rules for unincorporated St. Johns County, Florida.
Verified from official government sources
St. Johns County treats overgrown grass and weeds as a nuisance, and the City of St. Augustine caps growth at 12 inches. Florida Statute 373.185 still protects a Florida-Friendly or drought-tolerant yard from being forced back to turf.
Fla. Stat. §373.185(3)(c)
A local government ordinance may not prohibit or be enforced so as to prohibit any property owner from implementing Florida-friendly landscaping on his or her land.
Pruning or trimming a tree on your own St. Johns County home is unregulated. Florida Statute 163.045 goes further, barring any local government from requiring a permit, fee, or mitigation to prune, trim, or remove a residential tree once a certified arborist documents an unacceptable risk.
Fla. Stat. §163.045(2)
A local government may not require a notice, application, approval, permit, fee, or mitigation for the pruning, trimming, or removal of a tree on a residential property if the property owner possesses documentation from an arborist certified by the ISA or a Florida licensed landscape architect that the tree poses an unacceptable risk to persons or property.
Removing a tree on your St. Johns County home is protected by Florida Statute 163.045: no local government may require a permit, fee, or mitigation to remove a residential tree when an ISA-certified arborist or licensed landscape architect documents that it poses an unacceptable risk.
Fla. Stat. §163.045(2)
A local government may not require a notice, application, approval, permit, fee, or mitigation for the pruning, trimming, or removal of a tree on a residential property if the property owner possesses documentation from an arborist certified by the ISA or a Florida licensed landscape architect that the tree poses an unacceptable risk to persons or property.
St. Johns County treats rank weeds and overgrowth as a public nuisance, and the City of St. Augustine limits weeds to 12 inches. Code enforcement orders the owner to cut after written notice, then abates and bills the cost if ignored.
St. Johns County follows the St. Johns River Water Management District year-round watering schedule: homes water two days a week in summer and one in winter, never between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Florida Statute 373.62 requires a working rain sensor on every automatic sprinkler.
Fla. Stat. §373.62(1)
Any person who purchases and installs an automatic landscape irrigation system must properly install, maintain, and operate technology that inhibits or interrupts operation of the system during periods of sufficient moisture.
Rainwater harvesting is unrestricted in St. Johns County. Florida sets no limit on collecting rain, and the state and the water management district promote rain barrels and cisterns to cut irrigation demand.
No St. Johns County ordinance can force a turf lawn. Florida Statute 373.185 bars any local ordinance or deed restriction from prohibiting Florida-Friendly Landscaping, so residents may replace grass with native, drought-tolerant, and pollinator plantings.
Fla. Stat. §373.185(3)(b)
A deed restriction or covenant may not prohibit or be enforced so as to prohibit any property owner from implementing Florida-friendly landscaping on his or her land.
Artificial turf on a St. Johns County home is governed by local zoning and impervious-surface limits, not a state ban. Florida-Friendly protections under Statute 373.185 cover living drought-tolerant plantings, not synthetic turf, so county and HOA coverage rules still apply.
Fla. Stat. §373.185(3)(c)
A local government ordinance may not prohibit or be enforced so as to prohibit any property owner from implementing Florida-friendly landscaping on his or her land.
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