Miami-Dade County, FL Invasive Plant Rules: Bamboo Restrictions (2026)

Miami-Dade County does not have a specific bamboo ban, but the county has one of the most aggressive invasive plant control programs in the country due to the unique sensitivity of the South Florida ecosystem (Everglades, mangroves, tropical hardwood hammocks). Chapter 18A of the county code establishes the Miami-Dade County Landscape Ordinance, which regulates plant species used in landscaping. Chapter 18B covers the right-of-way landscape ordinance. The county maintains a prohibited plant list developed in coordination with the University of Florida IFAS Extension and the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (FLEPPC). The prohibited species list includes plants that are illegal to sell, propagate, or plant within the county. Running bamboo (Bambusa and Phyllostachys species) is not currently on the county's prohibited list but is considered potentially invasive in South Florida's climate. Clumping bamboo species are generally less problematic. Property owners planting any species within 500 feet of native plant communities must use only controlled or non-invasive species. The county's tropical climate means bamboo can grow extremely aggressively, and encroachment onto neighboring properties could trigger code enforcement.