Tampa property owners must keep yards clear of overgrown brush, dead vegetation, and combustible debris that could fuel a fire spreading toward structures, especially near wooded edges and palmetto undergrowth.
Tampa Code Ch. 19 (nuisances) and Ch. 14 (fire prevention) require owners to remove dead vegetation, fallen palm fronds, and accumulated yard debris within ten feet of structures. Tampa Fire Rescue inspects properties after complaints, particularly along forested neighborhood edges in New Tampa. Florida Forest Service supports Firewise USA standards for wildfire-prone subdivisions. Unlike California, Tampa enforces by complaint rather than scheduled inspection, but repeat violations can trigger Code Enforcement Board hearings.
Code Enforcement issues a notice of violation requiring abatement within ten to thirty days, followed by daily fines up to two hundred fifty dollars and city abatement liens.
Tampa, FL
Tampa enforces overgrown lot rules under City Code Chapter 19 (Nuisances) and Chapter 27 (Zoning). Turf grass and weeds exceeding 10 inches on developed resi...
Tampa, FL
Tampa requires property owners to keep lots free of overgrown vegetation, dead brush, and accumulated yard waste under City Code Chapter 19 (Lot Clearing). W...
See how Tampa's defensible space rules stack up against other locations.
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