Polk County, FL Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)
Key Facts
- Height limit
- 18 inches (grass/weeds)
- Small-lot rule
- ≤2 acres, adjacent to improved parcel, 10% area cap
- Large-lot rule
- 18" within 200 ft of structure/line
- Agricultural exemption
- Reduces buffer to 25 ft near neighbor
- Correction window
- 10 days after posted notice
- Appeal fee
- $25 to Code Enforcement Special Magistrate
Summary
Grass and weeds on improved lots in unincorporated Polk County cannot grow taller than 18 inches on more than ten percent of the property, per the county's Property Maintenance Ordinance. Larger and platted lots face the same 18-inch cap near buildings, and code officers can order a mowing after a ten-day notice or place a lien for the county's abatement cost.
(d)Overgrown lots. Overgrown lots are prohibited as follows:(1)Except as provided in section 8-155(d)(4), any grass or weeds on a lot two (2) acres or less in size that is adjacent to a parcel that contains a residential or commercial building shall not exceed the height of eighteen (18) inches from the ground for more than ten (10) per cent of the property; ... (4)Sections 8-155(1), (2) and (3) shall not apply to lots in which the majority of the lot is being actively used for bona-fide commercial agricultural purposes, on such lots any grass or weeds within twenty-five (25) feet of an adjacent property line of a lot that contains a residential or commercial building shall not exceed the height of eighteen (18) inches from the ground.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 109 | Land Development Code: Supplement 12).
Full Breakdown
Polk County's Property Maintenance Ordinance (Ord. No. 08-047, codified at Sec. 8-155(d)) caps overgrown grass and weeds at eighteen inches. On an improved lot of two acres or less that is adjacent to a parcel holding a residential or commercial building, grass or weeds may not exceed eighteen inches on more than ten percent of the property (Sec. 8-155(d)(1)). On a lot larger than two acres, the same eighteen-inch cap applies within two hundred feet of a structure or of an adjacent residential or commercial property line (Sec.
8-155(d)(2)); platted residential, commercial, or industrial lots and tracts carry the identical eighteen-inch/ten-percent standard (Sec. 8-155(d)(3)). Lots whose majority acreage is in bona fide commercial agricultural use are exempt from those three subsections, but even a working farm must keep grass and weeds under eighteen inches within twenty-five feet of an adjacent property line that holds a residential or commercial building (Sec. 8-155(d)(4)). Enforcement runs through the county's Code Enforcement Division: after an inspection confirms a violation, the Division mails the owner notice by certified mail and posts the property, giving the owner ten days to cut the lot before the county abates it and assesses the cost (Sec.
8-158(a), (c)). 00 fee (Sec. 8-159(a)). 3632 and, if unpaid, a lien equal to a property-tax lien recorded against the parcel (Sec. 8-158(d), (g)). A recurrence on the same property within five years of an owner's own abatement makes the owner liable again for the county's costs of the original violation (Sec. 8-158(e)).
Violations & Fines
Letting grass or weeds exceed eighteen inches under Sec. 8-155(d) triggers a certified-mail notice and a ten-day placard posting; failing to mow lets the county's Code Enforcement Division abate the lot and bill the owner, with costs collectible as a special assessment lien under F.S. § 197.3632. A second violation within five years makes the owner liable for both the original and repeat abatement costs (Sec. 8-158(e)).
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can my grass legally get in unincorporated Polk County?
Does the 18-inch rule apply to my whole property?
My property is a working farm, am I exempt from the weed rule?
What happens if I ignore the county's notice to mow?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Polk County
How Polk County compares: Cities with the Strictest Weed and Property Maintenance Rules·Florida rules heatmap·Compare Polk County to another location·View the Florida landscaping rules overview
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