Marion County has no countywide numeric grass-height ordinance for unincorporated property. Overgrown lots are addressed mainly through Florida's sanitary-nuisance law (Fla. Stat. 386.01) and, in many subdivisions, through Municipal Service Taxing/Benefit Units (MSTUs/MSBUs) that fund roadside and lot mowing.
Unlike many incorporated cities (such as Ocala), unincorporated Marion County does not impose a single uniform maximum grass height (e.g., a fixed 12- or 18-inch limit) on private residential lots countywide; the county's rural character and large agricultural land base mean mowing is largely handled locally. Excessively overgrown property that threatens health may be abated as a sanitary nuisance under Florida Statute 386.01, which broadly defines a sanitary nuisance as anything by which the health or life of individuals may be threatened or impaired or through which disease may be caused. The county operates more than 60 Municipal Service Taxing Units (MSTUs), Benefit Units (MSBUs), and Service Districts that fund enhanced roadside mowing and right-of-way maintenance within specific neighborhoods. Property owners with overgrowth complaints in unincorporated areas should contact Marion County Code Enforcement (Growth Services), which enforces nuisance conditions on a complaint basis.
A sanitary nuisance under Fla. Stat. 386.01 may be abated and is punishable as a second-degree misdemeanor under Fla. Stat. 386.03/386.04; locally, code enforcement may issue notices and refer unresolved nuisance conditions to the Code Enforcement Board for fines.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Marion County, FL
Motor vehicles on a public right-of-way are exempt from the county ordinance (Sec. 13-11(7)) and are instead governed by Florida Statutes 316.293, which sets...
Marion County, FL
Marion County's noise ordinance does not regulate aircraft. Section 13-11(3) exempts aircraft and airport activity conducted in accordance with federal laws ...
Marion County, FL
Marion County's animal code makes an owner responsible for preventing a domestic animal from creating a noise nuisance: barking, whining or howling that can ...
Marion County, FL
Construction work under a county development permit is exempt from the noise limits only when it occurs between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. Outside that window,...
Marion County, FL
Marion County prohibits playing any radio, stereo, sound amplifier, or musical instrument so that it is plainly audible past the source property line at dist...
Marion County, FL
Unincorporated Marion County sets time-averaged decibel limits that drop at night: residential areas fall from 65 dB(A) (7 a.m.-10 p.m.) to 55 dB(A) (10 p.m....
See how Marion County's grass height limits rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.