Manatee County, FL Fire Regulations: Brush Clearance (2026)

This rule traces to the 1982 Lot Clearing Procedures Act, a special act of the Florida Legislature (Laws of Fla., Ch. 82-321) that the county carried into its own Code of Laws at Chapter 1-19, Article II, Sections 1-19-21 through 1-19-27, rather than adopting it by ordinary county ordinance. It reaches only land in the unincorporated area of Manatee County. Section 1-19-23 requires every owner of improved or unimproved parcels to keep the land free of weeds, brush, debris and noxious material that tends to breed snakes, vermin or mosquitoes, create a fire hazard, or become a nuisance or unsanitary condition.

Enforcement starts with a complaint: a resident living within 200 feet of the parcel, an agent of a fire control district, or the Manatee County Planning and Development Department acting on its own initiative can trigger a finding of noncompliance (Sec. 1-19-24). The department then sends the owner, at the address on the latest county tax roll, a registered-mail notice directing that the weeds, brush, debris or noxious material be cut, cleared or removed, including material on the abutting sidewalk.

An owner who does not comply within 15 days of that notice loses the choice of who clears the land: the department is authorized to clear it directly or hire a private contractor (Sec. 1-19-25). The county then assesses a lien against the property for the actual clearing cost plus the expense of preparing, filing and recording the lien and any legal fees (Sec. 1-19-26). The lien is filed with the clerk of the circuit court and collected the following tax year, at the same penalty and interest rate, as county ad valorem property taxes. Section 1-19-27 lets the board of county commissioners fund an initial revolving account for this clearing work from general revenue, capped at one-sixth mill.