Before You Build in Hollywood, FL: Permit & Rule Checklist (2026)

Hollywood bars anyone from building, altering or repairing a retaining wall on land next to a canal, lake or other waterway without a city-approved permit backed by plans an engineer registered in Florida has designed. In already-developed shoreline areas the wall must hold a uniform height and use permanent, rot- and rust-resistant material such as concrete, coral rock or corrosion-resisting steel.

Hollywood caps residential fences and walls at four feet in the front yard and six feet along side and rear lines, rising to eight feet where a rear or side yard backs onto non-residentially zoned land. Non-residential zones allow eight feet on every yard. Near street corners the limit drops to two feet inside the sightline triangle.

Pool barriers in Hollywood FL must be at least 48 inches high per Florida Statutes Chapter 515 and Florida Building Code. Gates must be self-closing and self-latching with the latch at least 54 inches above grade on the pool side. The barrier must fully enclose the pool. A separate barrier permit is required.

Building permits required for all pool/spa installations in Hollywood FL. Barrier permit required separately. Pool cannot be filled until barrier passes inspection. Multiple inspections during construction. Florida Building Code + Florida Pool Safety Act standards apply.

Hollywood limits accessory sheds to one per property, capped at 200 square feet, and keeps them out of front yards and required street side yards unless a fence hides them. Rear and side setbacks are 5 feet, dropping to zero feet along an alley, under the zoning code's supplemental setback regulations.

Hollywood bans setting any open fire on land within city limits, including land-clearing, field, or pasture fires, unless a permit is obtained first under City Code § 94.152, with the Fire Marshal controlling issuance and a full permit regime in §§ 94.150 through 94.157.

Hollywood limits landscape irrigation to overnight and early-morning hours and assigns watering days by street address under City Code of Ordinances § 51.116. Even addresses water Thursday and/or Sunday; odd addresses water Wednesday and/or Saturday, and only outside the 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daytime window.

Cutting down, relocating or destructively damaging a tree three inches or more in trunk diameter anywhere in Hollywood requires a city permit under § 106.26, unless the tree is one of ten listed nuisance or invasive species. Applications run through the Office of Planning under §§ 106.27-106.29, and cutting first triples your permit fee under the after-the-fact process.

Owners of property next to a public swale must keep required street trees pruned to a minimum seven-foot clearance above grade at all times under City Code § 155.53, and must maintain the trees in a sound, skillful manner using species the code and Landscape Manual approve.