Lauderhill, FL Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Method required
- solid sodding, Sec. 5-3
- Protected areas
- drainage & roadway rights-of-way, easements
- Purpose
- protect catch basins, culverts, canals
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 95O-172, Dec. 11, 1995
- General penalty
- up to $500 fine or 60 days jail
- Continuing violation
- each day counted separately, Sec. 1-8
Summary
City of Lauderhill property owners must control sediment within drainage and roadway rights-of-way and easements by planting and maintaining solid sod, under City Code Sec. 5-3. The rule targets silt and sand that clog catch basins, culverts, roadways and canals across the city's extensive waterway network, and violators face the citywide general penalty in Sec. 1-8.
The violation of or failure to comply with any provision of this Code or the Land Development Regulations shall constitute an offense against the city and, where no specific penalty is provided therefor, or unless that provision is specifically exempted from city police jurisdiction, shall subject the offender, upon conviction, to a fine of not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00), or imprisonment for a period of not to exceed sixty (60) days, or by both such fine and imprisonment. ... Property owners shall control sediments within drainage and roadway rights-of-way and easements through the planting and maintenance of solid sodding to prevent silts and sands from entering catch basins, culverts, roadways and canals, thus hindering their hydraulic performance.
Full Breakdown
Adopted by Ord. No. 95O-172 on December 11, 1995, Sec. 5-3 sits in Chapter 5, Boats and Waterways, alongside the city's motor-powered boat operating rules and its ban on wading or swimming in any canal, waterway or lake within the corporate limits. The sediment control duty applies specifically to drainage and roadway rights-of-way and easements, and it requires solid sodding, not gravel or other ground cover, so that silts and sands do not enter catch basins, culverts, roadways and canals and reduce their hydraulic performance.
Because Sec. 5-3 carries no penalty clause of its own, an unresolved sediment problem falls under the citywide general penalty in Sec. 1-8, which applies whenever the Code or Land Development Regulations are violated and no specific penalty is set out. Sec. 1-8 also treats any condition maintained in violation of the Code as a public nuisance subject to abatement by the city, and it counts each day a violation continues as a separate offense. Public works and the community development department administer sediment and drainage compliance issues alongside the city's broader lot-maintenance and stormwater rules found in Chapter 11, Health, Sanitation, and Environmental Controls.
Violations & Fines
An unresolved sediment or drainage violation under Sec. 5-3 is treated as a public nuisance the city can abate. Because the section has no penalty of its own, Sec. 1-8's general penalty applies: a fine of up to $500, imprisonment up to sixty days, or both, with each day of continued violation counted as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the City of Lauderhill require sod instead of gravel for erosion control?
What happens if sediment from my property clogs a Lauderhill drainage canal?
When was Lauderhill's sediment control ordinance adopted?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lauderhill
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Erosion Control in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Broward County handle erosion control.