Fort Lauderdale, FL

Fort Lauderdale Code Section 18-3 defines 'overgrowth' as lawn, grass or weeds in excess of six (6) inches in height, and Section 18-12 declares any overgrowth of lawn, grass, weeds or…

On single-family residential property, Florida Statute 163.045 preempts Fort Lauderdale from requiring a permit, fee, or mitigation to prune, trim, or remove a tree when an…

Fort Lauderdale follows the South Florida Water Management District's mandatory year-round landscape irrigation rule, which limits irrigation to set days by address and bans watering…

Fort Lauderdale's water conservation code makes it official city policy to encourage drought-tolerant, native Florida-Friendly landscaping, and it flatly bars any rule that would…

Unincorporated Broward lets single-family homeowners on one acre or less install synthetic turf that meets state DEP standards, under the county's landscaping code.

Broward County exempts backyard composting from its solid waste management license as long as the pile doesn't create a nuisance or violate health and environmental rules.

Broward County's tree preservation ordinance bans removing or abusing any tree, or a historical tree, without PWESD approval, and applies countywide unless a municipality holds valid…

Fort Lauderdale Code of Ordinances ch. 26, art. IV (Parking, Stopping and Standing) governs on-street parking. Sec. 26-129 prohibits parking on sidewalks, crosswalks, within…

Fort Lauderdale bans abandoning a vehicle or vessel on public property beyond 24 hours or on private property beyond 10 days, and bans derelict vehicles outright, under Code Sec. 18-4…

Before paving a driveway or parking strip next to a public street in Fort Lauderdale, Sec. 25-13 requires permission from the office of the city engineer. Applicants have to file a…

Fort Lauderdale caps passenger curb loading zones at five minutes and freight curb loading zones at thirty minutes under Code sections 26-136 and 26-137, and any vehicle that overstays…

Fort Lauderdale can designate entire neighborhoods as Residential Parking Permit Districts under Code sections 26-165 through 26-172, barring any vehicle without a valid resident or…

City-operated parking spaces equipped with electric vehicle charging stations can be metered at up to five dollars an hour under Code section 26-161(a)(5), payable through the city's…

Fort Lauderdale ULDR sec. 47-34.4 prohibits parking or storing commercial vehicles or commercial watercraft in or upon any right-of-way or waterway within any residentially zoned…

Code of Ordinances sec. 26-131 bans parking any house trailer, bus, recreational vehicle unit, or truck tractor in any public place within the city's beach area, except in posted…

Code of Ordinances sec. 26-133 prohibits parking longer than 30 minutes between 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. on any street marked to prohibit all-night parking, except for physicians or…

Broward County licenses every tow truck and booting operator that works anywhere inside the county, incorporated cities included, and Chapter 20, Article VII, Division 2 of the County…

A building permit is required to erect, alter, or replace a fence or wall in Fort Lauderdale, obtained through the Development Services Department's LauderBuild portal, and the fence…

Under Fort Lauderdale ULDR Section 47-19.5, fence, wall, and hedge heights are governed by Table 1: in residential districts fences and walls run from 2.5 feet up to 6.5 feet (chain…

Fort Lauderdale ULDR Section 47-19.5 prohibits barbed wire on residential and most property (with narrow industrial and construction-site exceptions), requires walls to be finished on…

Florida's one statewide fence statute, §588.011, defines a legal fence as at least 3 feet high with three strands of wire on posts no more than 20 feet apart. Residential height…

Fort Lauderdale permits an accessory dwelling (granny flat) only as an accessory to a single-family home in specified residential districts (RS-8, RD-15, RM-15 and others), capped at…

Converting a garage to living space in Fort Lauderdale is reviewed under the ULDR accessory-dwelling standards and the parking rules of Section 47-20; lost required off-street parking…

In unincorporated Broward County, accessory buildings like sheds must sit at least 5 feet from side and rear property lines, stay one story on single-family lots, and cannot exceed 5%…

An accessory dwelling on unincorporated Broward land isn't just a size question, it's a rental-affordability commitment. Section 39-272 caps an ADU at fifty percent of the main house…

Florida Statute 553.73 makes the Florida Building Code the single, uniform construction standard for all permanent dwellings statewide, including tiny homes, preempting cities from…

Fort Lauderdale's ULDR Sec. 47-19.7 prohibits any exterior advertising or signage for a home occupation: there must be no external evidence of the business visible from outside the…

Cottage food operations in Fort Lauderdale are governed by Florida Statutes Section 500.80. No city permit or kitchen inspection is required. Annual gross sales are capped at $250,000…

Fort Lauderdale's Unified Land Development Code Sec. 47-19.7 permits a home occupation as an accessory use to any residential use, so long as it is subordinate to the dwelling's…

Broward County home-based businesses cannot generate vehicle traffic substantially greater than a typical residence. Florida HB 1451 sets this as the statewide standard and allows…

Family day care homes in Broward County must register or be licensed under Florida Statute 402.313. The Broward County Child Care Licensing and Enforcement agency handles local…

Under Fort Lauderdale Code of Ordinances Chapter 18, it is a public nuisance to maintain a swimming pool, spa, or hot tub with non-working equipment, stagnant water, accumulated…

Building a residential swimming pool, spa, or hot tub in Fort Lauderdale requires a building permit through the Development Services Department, and the pool cannot pass final…

A recreational backyard fire is allowed in the Fort Lauderdale area only as a contained campfire, bonfire, or cooking fire approved by the fire authority, and it must not create a…

Installing an L.P. gas cylinder anywhere in Fort Lauderdale requires a fire inspection division permit and inspection, with a $5 fee for an aboveground cylinder and $10 for a…

Florida law preempts most local fireworks regulation. Since 2020, consumer fireworks may be used by residents only on New Year's Day, Independence Day, and New Year's Eve; on any other…

Fort Lauderdale's open burning is governed primarily by Broward County and Florida rules. Residential burning of yard trash and household paper is prohibited in Broward County, and…

Broward County cites smoke detector defects under its Fire Code civil penalty schedule: a missing, non-functioning, blocked, inaccessible, or tampered-with smoke detector, whether a…

The Florida Forest Service has statewide jurisdiction over wildfire prevention and suppression on non-municipal land under Chapter 590, Florida Statutes.

Fort Lauderdale does not cap nights, length, or frequency of vacation rental stays. Under Florida Statute 509.032(7)(b), only ordinances adopted on or before June 1, 2011 may regulate…

A third vacation-rental violation triggers a 180-day certificate suspension in Fort Lauderdale, a fourth triggers 365 days, and every violation after that adds 30 more days with no…

Vacation rental registration in Fort Lauderdale carries a non-refundable fee set by city commission resolution, and a certificate of compliance will not issue until the owner also…

Fort Lauderdale's vacation rental ordinance only reaches homes rented to transient occupants for stretches under 30 days, and only when that happens more than three times a year. Rent…

Fort Lauderdale requires every single-family through four-family dwelling rented to transient occupants for periods under 30 days to register annually as a vacation rental and obtain a…

Fort Lauderdale vacation rentals must be equipped with a noise-detection device (data kept 180 days), post a strict audibility-based quiet-hours notice, and park all rental-associated…

Fort Lauderdale caps overnight vacation-rental occupancy at two persons per sleeping room (verified by city inspection) and limits gatherings to 1.5 times the overnight maximum, never…

Florida requires DBPR-licensed vacation rentals to maintain liability insurance, and Broward cities commonly require proof of $1 million in liability coverage as a condition of STR…

Fort Lauderdale sets no flat numeric limit on household dogs or cats, but Sec. 6-34 defines four or more dogs or cats over four months of age as a 'kennel,' which is unlawful unless it…

Fort Lauderdale prohibits any animal from running at large and bans pets on the sandy public beach, parks and playgrounds, with a narrow leashed-dog beach permit window of 6:00-9:00…

Fort Lauderdale has no breed-specific dog ban. Its only dangerous-dog rule (Sec. 6-33) targets behavior, not breed, and Florida Statute 767.14 prohibits local governments from adopting…

Fort Lauderdale makes it a citywide offense to shoot, trap, or otherwise kill or destroy birds. Code section 6-10 carries only two exceptions: state game wardens acting officially, and…

Fort Lauderdale bans pet stores from selling dogs or cats at retail. Code section 6-36 allows stores to offer only animals sourced from a shelter, humane society or rescue…

Fort Lauderdale bans keeping any wild or vicious animal as a pet anywhere in the city. Code section 6-13 also bars keeping such an animal for paid or free public display, with the only…

Fort Lauderdale taxes pet grooming shops under a flat $73.50 Animal Grooming Service classification in Code Sec. 15-57, and that classification bars any onsite boarding of animals. A…

Fort Lauderdale allows beekeeping but Sec. 6-12 requires beekeepers to control the bees' flight path so it does not interfere with neighbors and to keep a year-round water supply…

Fort Lauderdale bars keeping any animal in residential districts except common household pets, and the pet exception expressly excludes chickens, roosters and geese. Roosters are…

Sec. 6-15 makes it unlawful to feed, or fail to prevent the unintentional feeding of, high-risk rabies-vector wildlife such as raccoons, bats, foxes and skunks within public…

Cats four months and older must be registered with a rabies tag countywide, but Broward has no leash or at-large law for cats, and colony-managed community cats are exempt.

Broward doesn't require microchipping for all pets, but registered dogs and cats with a microchip get a discounted rabies tag fee, while dogs classified dangerous and all guard dogs…

Broward County requires the Division's veterinarian to sterilize any intact dog or cat impounded more than once, billing the cost to the owner at a fee set by the County Commission.

Unincorporated Broward bars veterinary hospitals from sites touching residential zoning, or separated from it only by a street, alley, or canal.

Fort Lauderdale Code Chapter 17 (Noise Control) caps residential outdoor sound at 60 dBA / 70 dBC from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and 50 dBA / 60 dBC from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. A 2024…

Fort Lauderdale outlaws rapid throttle advance, or revving, of a motor vehicle, motorcycle, moped or scooter engine when it creates a noise disturbance. Noise control officers…

Section 17-7(2) makes it unlawful to keep any domesticated animal whose vocalizing is plainly audible at the complainant's property line and continues more than five minutes without…

Section 17-7(4) makes it unlawful to operate construction, repair, alteration, or demolition equipment Monday through Saturday before 8:00 a.m. or after 7:00 p.m., or Sunday before…

Fort Lauderdale Code Section 17-8(7) expressly exempts 'all noises coming from the normal operations of an aircraft' from the city noise ordinance. Aircraft noise is regulated…

Section 17-7(1) bars amplified sound from residential property that is plainly audible for one minute or longer at 25 feet from the property line (10 p.m.-7 a.m.) or 50 feet (7 a.m.-10…

In unincorporated Broward County, power blowers and outdoor cleaning equipment are exempt from the noise code only from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Broward's only numeric decibel rule caps vessel noise at 90 dBA measured 50 feet from the boat on county waters, with an 80 dBA cap on the New River Canal and Intracoastal Waterway…

Fort Lauderdale landlords cannot occupy, permit occupancy of, or let out any dwelling unit or hotel/rooming unit that isn't clean, sanitary, safe and fit for human habitation, under…

Fort Lauderdale requires landlords of non-owner-occupied residential rentals to register with the Development Services Department under the Landlord Registration Program, Code ch. 9…

Fort Lauderdale does not have a just-cause eviction ordinance. Evictions are governed by the Florida Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Fla. Stat. Ch. 83, Part II). The 2023 Live…

Fla. Stat. § 83.56 requires a 3-day notice to pay rent or vacate for nonpayment, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays from the count. For lease violations, the landlord…

Under Fla. Stat. § 83.53, a Florida landlord must give at least 24 hours' notice to enter for repairs and may enter only at reasonable times, defined as between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m…

For a month-to-month tenancy, Fla. Stat. § 83.57 now requires 30 days' written notice (raised from 15 days by 2023's HB 1417). Breaking a fixed-term lease triggers landlord remedies…

Florida effectively bans local rent control. State law bars any city or county from imposing controls on rents, and the 2023 Live Local Act removed the old narrow exception that had…

Florida has no rent control and no statute setting a maximum rent increase or a dedicated advance-notice period. On a month-to-month tenancy, a new rent takes effect only through the…

Florida places no dollar limit on residential security deposits, but it enforces tight deadlines. If the landlord makes no claim, the deposit must be returned within 15 days of…

Adverse possession in Florida requires 7 years of actual, continued, exclusive possession plus paying all taxes within a year and filing a return with the property appraiser (Fla…

Fort Lauderdale doesn't write a separate rule book for garage-sale signs: Sec. 23-121 simply routes them into the city's general temporary-sign standard at Sec. 25-24. That section…

Fort Lauderdale convenience stores cannot let window signage block the view of the cash register and transaction area. Sec. 15-229(e) sets that visibility standard as one of several…

Fort Lauderdale treats campaign signs as temporary election-related signs under Sec. 25-24 of the Code of Ordinances. They may go up only 60 days before an election and must come down…

Broward County allows electronic message signs on permitted permanent signs but requires auto-dimming, an 8-second minimum display, and bans scrolling or flashing effects.

Broward County bans outdoor advertising signs within 660 feet of any limited-access highway countywide, unless the sign identifies an on-premise business, under the Expressway Outdoor…

Broward County exempts holiday lights from its outdoor lighting standards, but only if each bulb is under 10 watts and 70 lumens: brighter displays must meet the county's full cutoff…

Fort Lauderdale's Minimum Housing Code makes occupants, owners and operators jointly responsible for exterminating rodents and vermin in the units and shared areas they control. The…

Broward County authorizes a countywide sterile needle and syringe exchange program under state law, requiring the contracted operator to maintain written security procedures for safe…

A Fort Lauderdale code inspector who finds a Code violation must give written notice and a correction window before escalating to a hearing, under Code ch. 11, art. III, Sec. 11-11…

Fort Lauderdale's code enforcement law classifies violations as repeat or chronic, doubling penalties each time and capping the daily fine at $500 for either category once a property…

When a Broward County code inspector finds a violation in unincorporated Broward, the inspector must set a correction window of no fewer than five days and no more than thirty days…

Fort Lauderdale bans camping or sleeping on any public property citywide unless a governmental authority expressly allows it. Officers must offer shelter or medical referral first…

Fort Lauderdale bars sitting, standing or lying on public sidewalks after a warning or where a no-loitering sign is posted, if it hinders pedestrian passage. Sec. 16-72(b) applies to…

Fort Lauderdale folds panhandling directly into its disorderly conduct offense. Sec. 16-71(b)(3) makes it unlawful to go about begging or panhandling, or to loiter or stroll seeking…

Fort Lauderdale bans drinking alcohol or carrying an open container in public on the beach and on city streets and sidewalks. Code section 5-3 covers the beach area between Oakland…

Fort Lauderdale bans smoking and vaping in every public park and on the public beach under Code Sec. 19-7, adopted October 2022, with only unfiltered cigars exempted. The ban covers…

Fort Lauderdale folds public urination and defecation into its public indecency law: section 16-75 makes it a crime to urinate or defecate anywhere other than a toilet or washroom in a…

Fort Lauderdale bans loitering or prowling in circumstances that create justifiable alarm for public safety, including fleeing officers, concealing identity, or blocking sidewalks…

Fort Lauderdale defines jaywalking by ordinance, not just state law: section 16-82(b)(5) lists five specific crossing violations, from crossing within 200 feet of a marked crosswalk to…

Fort Lauderdale bans any noise disturbance, defined as sound that is unreasonably loud, raucous or jarring to ordinary neighbors or that exceeds the numeric limits in Chapter 17. Under…

Skateboarding, biking, rollerskating, or in-line skating is only illegal on a Fort Lauderdale sidewalk or city property where the city commission has designated the area by resolution…

Broward County lets officers issue a civil citation instead of a criminal charge for possessing 20 grams or less of cannabis in public. Section 21-6 names it an Eligible Offense under…

Fort Lauderdale's minimum housing code requires every private parking lot open to the public to be lit so that no glare or excessive light spills onto adjacent property. Code section…

Fort Lauderdale requires new construction visible from the beach to shield or eliminate light that could disorient nesting sea turtles. Code section 6-49 sets 13 design standards, from…

Broward County's zoning code caps sign lighting to internal, back-lit, or fully shielded spotlight methods, requires shielded fixtures for external illumination, and bans hazardous…

Fort Lauderdale lets a posted no-soliciting sign or a verbal refusal stop any door-to-door pitch cold. Peddlers holding a city permit are allowed to knock only between 8:00 a.m. and…

Fort Lauderdale requires anyone going door to door selling goods, wares, merchandise or services to hold a permit from the city's chief license inspector before making a single knock…

Fort Lauderdale's fire chief can order partial or full sprinkler, standpipe or fire alarm systems installed in multifamily buildings, condominiums, hotels and similar occupancies that…

Fort Lauderdale taxes child care providers by capacity under Code Sec. 15-57: $52.50 for a family or home day care serving up to five children, up to $210 for a large facility with 51…

Every building in Fort Lauderdale with elevators equipped for firefighter service must install and keep a key box holding the elevator keys, per City Code Sec. 13-64. Fire-Rescue…

Fort Lauderdale enforces construction work through the Florida Building Code, adopted as the city's primary building code under Code of Ordinances Sec. 9-1. The building official…

When a Fort Lauderdale building inspector finds work that fails to conform to approved plans or code, Sec. 9-48(d)(17)d requires a written notice of the needed corrections, and if the…

Fort Lauderdale requires a licensed plumber connecting a building's sewer line to the sanitary sewer lateral on private property to file for and obtain a plumbing permit from the…

Unincorporated Broward County treats rooftop photovoltaic solar systems as permitted accessory equipment in every zoning district, removing zoning barriers to installing them on…

Pre-1978 housing in Broward County is subject to federal EPA Renovation Repair and Painting Rule and HUD disclosure requirements. Contractors must be EPA RRP certified for lead-safe…

In unincorporated Broward's RSO transitional district, no single-family home or office building can run longer than 80 feet, on top of plot-coverage and height caps.

Before doing any electrical work in Broward County, contractors and journeymen must hold a certificate of competency from Division II of the Central Examining Board, valid for permits…

Permitted micromobility devices, meaning rented e-scooters and e-bikes, must stay in bicycle paths or bicycle lanes whenever one exists, dropping to sidewalks only where no lane is…

Fort Lauderdale authorizes traffic infraction detectors, red-light and intersection safety cameras, under Article VII of Chapter 26, adopting Florida's Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Act…

Shared scooter operators need a city permit under section 27-264, capped at three permits for up to 500 scooters each and an annual fee of $62,500, and scooters are banned outright…

Uber, Lyft, taxis and limos picking up at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport must use the officially signed Ground Transportation Area; stopping elsewhere to load a…

Florida flips the usual assumption: a golf cart is barred from public roads unless a county, a municipality, or a water control district has affirmatively designated that road for cart…

Fort Lauderdale bans mobile food and merchandise vending everywhere except B-2, B-3 and B-3-C zoning districts. Sec. 23-94 requires a vendor to prove the property owner's written…

Fort Lauderdale outlaws selling food, drinks or merchandise from any public street or sidewalk under Sec. 23-95(3). A vending vehicle that merely stops for a moment to make one sale…

A mobile food unit cannot get a Fort Lauderdale business tax receipt without a Broward County Health Department approval already in hand. City Code Sec. 15-54 requires operators to…

The city collects residential solid waste twice weekly at single-family homes and small multifamily accounts of three units or less under Sec. 24-26. Bulk trash can't hit the swale…

Every multifamily building in Fort Lauderdale must run its own recycling program under Sec. 24-8, giving each unit a suitable recycling container and weekly collection at minimum…

Fort Lauderdale collects recyclables roadside once a week under Sec. 24-26(3), and Sec. 24-30(e) makes it mandatory that every recyclable material go into a recycling container rather…

Fort Lauderdale picks up yard waste, grass clippings, tree trimmings, leaves and similar plant debris, once a week from the city-issued yard waste cart under Code of Ordinances Sec…

Fort Lauderdale requires garbage and recycling carts to go out and come back on collection day only. Sec. 24-27(b) bars leaving a container roadside overnight and requires it stored…

Fort Lauderdale collects residential solid waste twice weekly at single-family homes and small multifamily accounts, with recyclables and yardwaste picked up roadside once a week. Bulk…

Fort Lauderdale requires every multifamily building of four units or more, and every commercial establishment, to keep an approved bulk container for solid waste under Sec. 24-28…

Fort Lauderdale collects bulk trash, furniture, appliances, mattresses and qualifying yard trimmings, from the swale in front of residential customers on a set schedule under Sec…

Dumping solid waste on streets, beaches, waterways, city property or someone else's private land without consent is unlawful under Code sec. 24-7. Unremoved accumulations that threaten…

No group can take exclusive use of a Fort Lauderdale park or beach area without city commission approval under Code Sec. 19-1. Vendors and paid activities at park events also need a…

Placing tables, chairs, or umbrellas on a public sidewalk to operate as or alongside a Fort Lauderdale business requires a sidewalk café permit from development services under Sec…

Converting an on-street parking space into a public parklet in Fort Lauderdale needs a permit and an executed revocable license under Sec. 25A-182, plus an annual $650 fee per parking…

Residents seeking to close a local street in their neighborhood go through Article VI of ch. 25. A neighborhood group must file an application signed by 65% of the property owners and…

Any festival, concert or street fair on public or private property in Fort Lauderdale needs a permit under the outdoor events ordinance, filed with the parks and recreation department…

No parade, procession, or sound truck may use a Fort Lauderdale street without a police chief permit under section 26-202, and section 26-202.1 separately bans anyone in a parade or…

Broward County requires a Film Commissioner permit before shooting a Production on county-owned or Participating Municipality property, with narrow carve-outs for handheld personal use…

Fort Lauderdale's Minimum Housing Code lets the city, as enforcing agency, inspect any dwelling, dwelling unit, hotel or rooming house and adjacent premises to check compliance under…

Fort Lauderdale's Minimum Housing Code lets city inspecting officers enter and examine any dwelling, hotel or rooming house, and the premises around it, at reasonable hours to check…

A Fort Lauderdale household gets three garage sales a year, period. Sec. 23-123 caps each residential property or family to a maximum of three such sales per calendar year, and no…

Fort Lauderdale limits emergency generator testing to 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, capped at one hour, with sound capped at 68 dBA measured 23 feet away under Code Sec. 17-7(5). Running a…

Residential HVAC equipment in Fort Lauderdale cannot exceed 40 dBA between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., measured inside the complaining neighbor's home, under Code Sec. 17-7(6). The rule is…

Bars and nightclubs inside Fort Lauderdale's Special Entertainment Overlay District get their own numeric noise ceiling: up to 85 dBA/95 dBC daytime and evening, stepping down after…

In unincorporated Broward County, loading and unloading noise from delivery trucks is exempt from the county's noise-nuisance rule only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.; outside those hours…

A vacant Fort Lauderdale building with broken, missing or unsecured openings is a declared public nuisance under Code Sec. 18-7. Legal boarding requires a $65 permit-issued certificate…

In unincorporated Broward County, owners of undeveloped lots one net acre or smaller must keep the land and swale free of overgrown hedges and groundcover, with civil fines for eyesore…

Fort Lauderdale parcels that sit seaward of the state's coastal construction control line and also fall inside a mapped flood hazard area face a stricter build standard under Code Sec…

Broward County requires construction sites in the unincorporated area to remove or secure all solid waste and building materials once a hurricane or tropical storm warning is declared.

Broward County bars keeping hurricane shutters mounted or closed on occupied buildings for more than 15 consecutive days after a declared hurricane watch or warning ends, and the clock…

Fort Lauderdale taxes each trade or profession under its own named classification in City Code Sec. 15-57, from Accountant to Yacht Broker, with a set dollar fee per category. A…

Fort Lauderdale prohibits private docks on city-owned waterway frontage, including street ends, municipal parks and licensed dock areas, unless the city commission grants a dock permit…

Fort Lauderdale maps its flood hazard areas from the FEMA-based Flood Insurance Study for Broward County and its Flood Insurance Rate Maps, adopted by reference in City Code Sec. 14-3…

Buildings and structures in Fort Lauderdale that are exempt from the Florida Building Code, including substantial improvements, must be designed and built to the flood-resistant…

Every lot and parcel in Fort Lauderdale pays a stormwater management utility fee under Code section 28-195, sorted into one of three customer categories by property type. The fee funds…

Filling, grading, or draining land in a flood hazard area of unincorporated Broward County requires a floodplain development permit from the county Floodplain Administrator before any…

Florida regulates construction seaward of the Coastal Construction Control Line through state permits, with uniform standards administered by the Department of Environmental Protection.

Fort Lauderdale requires a Go SOLAR permit for rooftop photovoltaic systems, priced under Code of Ordinances Sec. 9-48(d)(2) at a flat $552.00 permit fee plus a $52.00 reinspection…

Florida Statutes Section 163.04 prohibits HOAs and local governments from banning solar panel installation. HOAs may only determine the specific roof location within 45 degrees of due…

Unincorporated Broward deems rooftop solar panels a permitted accessory use in every zoning district, skipping discretionary zoning review for the permit.

Fort Lauderdale bars tobacco and vape retailers from selling to anyone under 21, requires ID checks and a posted warning sign, and bans self-service display of e-cigarettes and liquid…

Fort Lauderdale has no stand-alone tattoo permit chapter; instead, Sec. 15-57 taxes a tattoo parlor as a Services Supergroup business at $157.50 and separately taxes each artist and…

Fort Lauderdale requires anyone buying, selling or trading secondhand goods, such as jewelry, electronics, tools or musical instruments, to hold a $250 annual city license under…

Fort Lauderdale does not license adult entertainment establishments, but it dictates how they operate: any place where staff bare specified anatomical areas must feature a raised stage…

Fort Lauderdale requires a business tax receipt for every massage establishment: $73.50 per year for the salon itself, plus a separate $20 receipt for each massage therapist working…

Fort Lauderdale treats pawnbrokers as a category of secondhand dealer and makes them hold pawned gold, silver, platinum, jewelry, gems and other precious stones for 10 working days…

Private lots and garages that immobilize or tow vehicles in Fort Lauderdale cannot get a city license on their own: Code section 26-247 sends every property owner and tow contractor to…

Broward's zoning code confines vehicle repair on residential property to a garage, bars body work and painting outright, and caps carport or driveway work to tire, battery, spark plug…

Anyone wanting to build in a Fort Lauderdale street, alley or other public right-of-way needs a permit from the city engineer first. Sec. 25-100 sets the rules: a permit only covers…

Fort Lauderdale places the burden of fixing a damaged public sidewalk on the abutting property owner once the city determines the owner's trees, landscaping, irrigation, parking, or…

Fort Lauderdale bans building, depositing or placing any structure or obstruction in a street or sidewalk without a right-of-way permit or the city commission's express consent, under…

Planting, pruning, or removing a tree, shrub, or vine on a Fort Lauderdale street or in a city park requires a written permit from the city manager or the parks and recreation…

Broward County's Board of County Commissioners designates historical trees under Code § 27-412, and § 27-405 bans removing any designated historical tree without prior Board approval…

Broward County protects any tree with an 18-inch trunk diameter and a 60% condition rating as a specimen tree, requiring a PWESD removal license or Board approval before it can be cut…

Fort Lauderdale treats reclaimed water as a cross-connection hazard, not a free substitute for potable supply. Code section 28-153 requires a dual check valve, double check valve or…

Unincorporated Broward County requires residential lots to keep 10 to 35 percent of their area in turf or groundcover, scaled by lot size, but allows DEP-compliant synthetic turf to…

Fort Lauderdale permits medical marijuana dispensaries only in B-1 (Boulevard Business), B-2 (General Business), and B-3 (Heavy Commercial/Light Industrial) zoning districts under ULDR…

Home cultivation of cannabis is illegal in Fort Lauderdale and throughout Florida. Only state-licensed cultivators authorized by the Florida Department of Health may grow marijuana…

Fort Lauderdale enforces a juvenile curfew under Section 16-81 of the Code of Ordinances. Minors under 16 must be off public streets from 11 PM to 5 AM Sunday through Thursday, and…

Broward County parks operate on posted hours, not a fixed curfew: the Parks and Recreation director can close any park or section at any time for safety or public interest, per County…

Commercial drone operations in Fort Lauderdale are governed primarily by FAA Part 107 regulations. Florida law preempts most local drone flight path regulation, but operators must…

Broward's Aviation Department can restrict or permit drone (UAS) use at FLL and North Perry Airport, one of nine listed aeronautical operations it controls under the county airport…

Florida expressly preempts local regulation of drones, reserving authority to the state and federal government, with limited surveillance and trespass exceptions.

In unincorporated Broward County, outdoor grills and cooking equipment can't sit in the front yard and must stay at least 5 feet from any side or rear property line.

Broward County lets residents build a campfire, bonfire, or open fire for recreation or outdoor noncommercial food preparation without a permit, as long as it avoids excessive smoke or…

Broward County HOA disputes must generally use pre-suit mediation under FL 720.311 before court filing. Condo election and recall disputes go to DBPR arbitration.

Broward County HOAs routinely require architectural review committee approval before exterior changes including paint, roofing, fences, pools, and hurricane shutters.

Broward County HOAs set assessments through a budget adopted by the board with 14-day member notice. Condos face mandatory reserve funding under post-Surfside law.

Broward County HOAs may levy fines up to 100 dollars per day capped at 1,000 dollars per violation, suspend use rights, and record liens. Fines over 1,000 dollars may be liened after…

Under Fla. Stat. § 720.303(2), Florida HOA board meetings must be open to members with notice posted at least 48 hours ahead. Section 720.306 governs member meetings and elections, §…

Florida Statute 163.04 bars homeowner association deed restrictions and local ordinances from prohibiting clotheslines, solar collectors, or other renewable-resource energy devices in…

Florida law bars HOA declarations, articles, and bylaws from prohibiting Florida-friendly landscaping, defined by statute as drought-tolerant, water-conserving design. Section…

Florida law bars homeowners associations from stopping owners from flying up to two flags, each no larger than 4 1/2 by 6 feet, including the U.S. flag, Florida's state flag, military…

Under Fla. Stat. § 720.305, a Florida HOA may fine up to $100 per violation and $1,000 in the aggregate unless the governing documents allow more. The association must give at least 14…

A Florida association can foreclose an assessment lien in the same manner a mortgage is foreclosed, but only after two separate 45-day notices, and fines are largely off limits: a…

Florida limits how homeowners' associations can restrict renting out a home, but only in communities governed by Chapter 720, not condos or co-ops. Under Fla. Stat. § 720.306(1)(h), a…

Unincorporated Broward County sets aside A-1 Agricultural Estate and A-2 General Agricultural zoning districts to protect crop raising, livestock, nurseries, equestrian operations and…

Broward County runs an administrative farm-status determination under its Right to Farm Act criteria, letting owners prove agricultural use to Public Works and Environmental Services…

Broward levies a tourist development tax of up to 6% on hotel, motel, apartment and short-term rental stays of six months or less, on top of state sales tax.

Filming a Production on county-owned or county-controlled Specified Property in Broward requires a permit from the Film Commissioner before shooting starts, covering movies…

Broward County requires a filming permit once a handheld production creates noise that is frequent, habitual, or long and audible 25 feet away, per County Code Sec. 20-261.

Filming on Broward County roads, rights-of-way, or other county property requires a Film Commissioner permit, and applicants must request and pay for any police or fire road-closure…

A solo student filming a class project with one handheld camera on county-controlled property needs no permit, but any crew, prop use, or paid shoot on that property requires a Film…

Broward County's Historic Preservation Board designates historic and archaeological cultural resources, and no building permit for construction, demolition, or alteration is issued…

Unincorporated Broward caps residential building height by zoning district, from 35 feet in single-family RS districts up to 180 feet in the densest RM-24/25 multifamily districts.

Every one- and two-family lot in unincorporated Broward's residential districts carries three numeric yard minimums that shrink as density rises. Sections 39-285 through 39-287 set…

Unincorporated Broward caps how much of a residential lot buildings can physically cover, separate from the county's broader impervious-surface limit. Section 39-282 sets maximum plot…

A density increase above what unincorporated Broward's comprehensive plan otherwise allows isn't available through a zoning variance: Section 39-39(a) expressly bars the hearing…

Unincorporated Broward bars landscaping with FLEPPC-listed invasive plants and makes removal of existing ones mandatory.

Florida Statute 218.077 prohibits local governments from establishing a minimum wage other than the state or federal rate, preempting city and county living-wage ordinances except for…

Florida Statute 509.032(7) and broader employment preemption framework prevent local governments from requiring private employers to follow predictive or fair-scheduling rules beyond…

Florida allows permitless concealed carry of firearms by law-abiding adults under FS 790.01 and continues to issue concealed weapon licenses through FS 790.06, with both regimes…

Florida Statute 790.33 expressly preempts the entire field of firearm and ammunition regulation to the state, voiding all local ordinances and imposing personal civil penalties on…

Florida's open carry ban (FS 790.053) was struck down by the First District Court of Appeal in McDaniels v. State on September 10, 2025. The Florida Attorney General issued guidance on…

Florida Statute 790.25(5) allows any law-abiding person 18 or older to possess a concealed firearm in a private vehicle for self-defense, provided the firearm is securely encased or…

Florida cardrooms operate only inside licensed pari-mutuel facilities, dog tracks, horse tracks, and jai alai frontons, under a license from the Florida Gaming Control Commission. Fla…

Florida lets charitable, nonprofit, and veterans' organizations run bingo without applying for any state gaming license: the statute itself sets the eligibility bar and the limits. A…

Florida law exempts small-stakes card and tile games from gambling crimes under Fla. Stat. § 849.085, but only under strict conditions: winnings per hand can't exceed $10, the game…

Sports wagering is legal in Florida only through the Seminole Tribe's Hard Rock Bet platform, authorized under the state's gaming compact codified at Fla. Stat. § 285.710(13)(b)7…

Florida allows sobriety checkpoints, and the discretion of the individual trooper is what gets constrained. Fla. Stat. § 321.05(1) gives Florida Highway Patrol officers the power to…

Florida is an all-party consent state, but that rule reaches less far than it sounds. Fla. Stat. § 934.03(2)(d) makes interception lawful only when every party consents, while §…

Florida has no general stop-and-identify statute. The Florida Stop and Frisk Law, Fla. Stat. § 901.151(2), lets an officer temporarily detain you to ascertain your identity when…

Florida wrote the automobile exception into its statutes in 1927. Fla. Stat. § 933.19 adopts the United States Supreme Court's decision of March 2, 1925 in the Carroll case, reported…

Florida Statute 403.7033 preempts the regulation of disposable plastic bags by local governments, prohibiting cities and counties from enacting bans or fees on retailers pending a…

Florida Statute 500.90 preempts the regulation of polystyrene products by local governments, blocking cities and counties from banning expanded polystyrene foam food containers, cups…

Florida Statute 569.101 prohibits the sale or delivery of tobacco and nicotine products to persons under 21, aligning with federal law and applying uniformly statewide under the…

Florida is one of the states that says yes to underbody lighting in so many words. Fla. Stat. § 316.235(3) provides that any motor vehicle may be equipped with one or more lamps or…

Florida does not give dash cameras a windshield carve-out. Fla. Stat. § 316.2952(2) is written as a closed list of exactly four things that may be attached to, or located in or upon, a…

Florida bans lane splitting in so many words. Fla. Stat. section 316.209(3) states that no person shall operate a motorcycle between lanes of traffic or between adjacent lines or rows…

Florida treats an obscured plate as a crime, not a ticket. Fla. Stat. section 320.061(1) makes it unlawful to apply or attach any substance, reflective matter, illuminated device…

A driver of a private passenger vehicle may use a radar detector in Florida. No section of the Florida Statutes prohibits owning, carrying or operating one, and chapter 316, which…

Florida does not ban studded tires and does not restrict them to a winter season. The one wheel-surface provision in the traffic code, Fla. Stat. section 316.299, prohibits driving on…

Florida sets a separate light transmittance floor for each piece of glass rather than one statewide number. Side wings and side windows forward of or next to the driver must pass at…