Bay County, FL Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Sec. 17-1(5) of the Bay County Code defines "nuisance" to include "any excessive accumulation of overgrowth upon any developed or improved property." Unlike some Florida cities, Bay County does not set a specific inch or foot height limit for grass or weeds in this provision; the standard is "excessive accumulation," which a code enforcement officer applies case by case based on the appearance and condition of the lot. Sec. 17-2(a) then makes it unlawful for an owner to "cause, create, maintain or allow" that condition, and routes enforcement to chapter 7's civil citation and special magistrate system.

In practice, an overgrowth complaint is handled like other chapter 17 nuisances: under Sec. 7-1(d)(1), before a citation issues "a code enforcement officer shall provide notice to the person that the person has committed a violation of a code or ordinance and shall establish a reasonable time period within which the person must correct the violation," capped at "no more than 30 days," unless the officer finds a repeat violation or an immediate threat to health and safety, in which case a citation can issue without that grace period. If the overgrowth isn't cleared, the case can proceed to a special magistrate hearing under Sec. 7-33, which authorizes a fine "not to exceed $1,000.00 per day per violation for a first violation," escalating to "an amount not to exceed $5,000.00 per day per violation for a repeat violation." Any resulting fine order can be recorded as a lien against the property, and a property owner may appeal a special magistrate's order to the circuit court within 30 days under Sec. 7-38, though the appeal does not automatically stay an abatement order.