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

Charlotte County's Lot Maintenance Standards, Secs. 2-5-70 through 2-5-75 of the code, set the county's only numeric grass-height rule. Sec. 2-5-71 defines 'excessive growth' as any weed or grass exceeding twelve (12) inches in height that covers fifty (50) percent or more of the mowable area of the lot that has been cleared of native vegetation and is not used for agriculture, and it defines 'weeds' as rank, wild, obnoxious growth of no value and non-native invasive plants. Sec. 2-5-72 makes it unlawful for an owner of a 'developed lot,' meaning any lot on which a structure has been built or placed, to permit or maintain that excessive growth; a lot under an active building permit is exempt as long as it has passed an inspection within the preceding 180 days.

Enforcement runs through Sec. 2-5-73: code compliance officers who find a violation must serve a written notice of public nuisance by certified mail, hand delivery, or by leaving it with a resident over 15 at the owner's residence, and must also post the notice on the property. The owner then has a set correction period, based on factors like the severity of the violation and the ease of correcting it, and may request a hearing under Sec. 2-5-74 before a hearing officer, with the right to an attorney, to present evidence, and to cross-examine witnesses; a final order can be appealed to the Circuit Court.

If the owner neither corrects the violation nor requests a hearing, or loses the hearing, Sec. 2-5-75 lets the county abate the growth itself and bill the owner for the actual cost or $100, whichever is greater, recorded as a lien on the property that accrues interest until paid.