Ocala, FL Landscaping Rules: Artificial Turf (2026)

Section 34-143 sets the maintenance standard that applies to any property a mortgagee holds under a defaulted mortgage, and to any property an owner has let become 'abandoned' under Section 34-141's definition, meaning it is vacant, shows evidence of vacancy, or has had water, sewer or electric service cut off for more than two consecutive days. Subsection (d) requires those yards to be landscaped and maintained to Code standards, and subsection (d)(1) spells out what counts: grass, ground covers, bushes, shrubs, hedges or similar plantings, decorative rock or bark, or artificial turf/sod designed specifically for residential, commercial or industrial installation, as applicable.

The same clause draws a line against counting weeds, gravel, broken concrete or asphalt as landscaping, and clarifies that the provision doesn't force an owner to add brand-new landscaping beyond what the Code otherwise requires. Because this allowance sits inside the abandoned-property article rather than the city's general zoning or landscaping chapters, it is the only place in the Ocala Code of Ordinances that names artificial turf as acceptable ground cover; a search of the full Code turns up no other section addressing synthetic turf for an ordinary occupied yard.

Section 34-143 also requires these properties to stay free of weeds, overgrown brush, dead vegetation, trash and graffiti, and requires pools and spas to be kept clear of pollutants and debris.