9 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in St. Lucie County, Florida.
Verified from official government sources
Unincorporated St. Lucie County uses a nuisance standard rather than a fixed number, but Port St. Lucie, the county's largest city, requires owners to keep grass and weeds on improved (built-on) property from exceeding twelve inches in length.
Port St. Lucie Code Sec. 41.08 (Exterior property areas)
Grass and/or weeds. It shall be the duty and responsibility of owners to maintain improved property in a manner so as to prevent the existence of grass or weeds exceeding twelve (12) inches in length.
You may prune your own trees, but in Port St. Lucie substantially altering or damaging a protected tree requires a permit. Florida law also lets homeowners trim or remove a residential tree without local approval when a certified arborist documents it as dangerous.
Port St. Lucie Code Sec. 154.14 (Permit required for tree removal)
Except as provided for in the article, no person shall, directly or indirectly, cut down, substantially alter, destroy, remove, relocate, damage, or authorize any such act involving a protected tree situated on land within the city, without first obtaining a tree removal permit.
Removing a protected tree in Port St. Lucie requires a city tree removal permit. But Florida Statute 163.045 overrides local rules: no permit, fee, or mitigation may be required for a residential tree a certified arborist documents as dangerous.
F.S. 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.
Port St. Lucie forbids owners of unimproved (vacant) property from letting weeds, grass, and undergrowth exceed twenty-four inches within fifteen feet of a road or drainage right-of-way. Improved lots must stay under twelve inches; the county enforces overgrowth as a nuisance.
Port St. Lucie Code Sec. 43.04 (Unimproved real property nuisances)
It shall be unlawful for owners of unimproved real property located within the City to allow weeds, grass, undergrowth, bushes, or other vegetative material to grow thereon to a height of more than twenty-four (24") inches for a minimum distance of fifteen feet (15') from the road or drainage right-of-way line.
St. Lucie County follows the South Florida Water Management District year-round landscape irrigation rule. Odd-numbered addresses water Wednesday and Saturday; even-numbered addresses water Thursday and Sunday. No landscape irrigation is allowed daily between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
St. Lucie County and its cities have no ordinance banning residential rain barrels or cisterns. Collecting rooftop rainwater for landscape use is legal and encouraged in Florida as a water-conservation practice; check any HOA or building rules for large systems.
Florida law protects your right to plant native, drought-tolerant, Florida-Friendly landscaping: a local ordinance may not prohibit any owner from implementing it. Port St. Lucie's landscape code actually favors native species and drought-tolerant material.
F.S. 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.
Artificial turf is not banned outright, but Port St. Lucie's landscape code prohibits using synthetic or artificial material, including artificial turf, in place of required landscape plantings. It cannot count toward mandated landscaping, though decorative use may be allowed.
Port St. Lucie Code Sec. 154.04 (Landscape material standards)
Synthetic Plants. Synthetic or artificial material in the form of trees, shrubs, ground cover, vines, or artificial turf shall not be used in lieu of plant requirements in this section.
St. Lucie County and Port St. Lucie have no ordinance banning backyard composting. Home compost piles are allowed but must not become a nuisance by attracting rodents or vermin or creating odors that affect neighboring property.
1 cities in St. Lucie County have their own landscaping rules rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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