St. Lucie County, FL Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Section 38-28(d) of the St. Lucie County Code, the county's "lot cleanup" nuisance article, requires every owner and, if applicable, every agent, custodian, lessee or occupant of property to "reasonably regulate and effectively control the excessive growth of grass, weeds, brush, and other overgrowth on the property, and that portion of the adjoining public right-of-way between the property and the paved or graded street." Growth "that exceeds 12 inches in height is prohibited and shall be trimmed to a height below 12 inches." The rule applies to improved and unimproved lots alike and reaches both the yard itself and the strip of right-of-way out to the street. Mature native Florida ecological communities, as catalogued in the Soil Conservation Service's "26 Ecological Communities in Florida," are exempt unless the growth becomes an imminent public-health threat, in which case the county administrator can order it removed regardless.

Violations are declared a nuisance under § 38-28(b) because overgrown lots depreciate neighboring property values and can shelter rodents, vermin or breeding mosquitoes. The county administrator serves a written notice of violation by certified mail giving the responsible party 20 calendar days to trim the growth below 12 inches; if delivery fails, posting the notice on the property counts as receipt. An owner may appeal to the county administrator, with a filing fee, within 15 days, triggering a public hearing before the board of county commissioners, with a further 30-day window to appeal an adverse decision to circuit court. If the county mows the lot itself, the cost becomes a non-ad valorem special assessment on the property's annual tax bill, with amounts over $1,000.00 payable over two years at the county administrator's discretion.