Homestead, FL Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)
Key Facts
- Improved lot / CRA limit
- 8 inches maximum growth
- Unimproved lot outside CRA
- 12 inches maximum growth
- Agricultural exemption
- Bona fide ag use exempt from height cap
- Right-of-way duty
- Owner must maintain abutting swale
- Notice before city mows
- 10 days by mail/posting
- Enforcement body
- Code enforcement board, Chapter 7
Summary
Homestead caps untended weed and grass growth at 8 inches on improved lots, including those in the Community Redevelopment Area, and at 12 inches on unimproved lots outside the CRA. Violations are a public nuisance under City Code Sec. 19-95, enforced by the code enforcement board.
The following are hereby prohibited and declared to be a public nuisance and unlawful: the existence of the excessive accumulation or the untended growth of weeds, undergrowth or other dead or living plant life, to a point where any amount of the growth on any improved lot, any lot located in an improved residential area or on any lot located within the community redevelopment area is in excess of eight (8) inches in height or in excess of twelve (12) inches in height on any unimproved lot situated outside of the community redevelopment area
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 87).
Full Breakdown
City Code Sec. 19-95(a) declares it a public nuisance and unlawful to let weeds, undergrowth, or other dead or living plant life grow "in excess of eight (8) inches in height" on any improved lot, any lot in an improved residential area, or any lot in the Community Redevelopment Area, or "in excess of twelve (12) inches in height" on an unimproved lot situated outside the CRA. Subsection (c) defines an "improved lot" as one with a legally permitted principal use or a structure, and an "improved residential area" as a block with residential structures approved for occupancy.
Subsection (b) exempts land the Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser recognizes as bona fide agricultural use from the height cap, unless that land sits on an otherwise residentially developed block; cover crops planted between growing seasons on exempt agricultural land do not count as untended growth. Subsection (d) extends the same height limits to the abutting public right-of-way, including alleys, sidewalks, and swale areas, and makes the property owner responsible for maintaining that swale area free of holes, debris, or hazards and for cutting the grass and weeds there.
Subsection (e) additionally makes the owner responsible for maintaining and repairing any paved areas, driveways, or pavers placed in the right-of-way. Under Sec. 19-96, when a lot violates Sec. 19-95, the city may correct the overgrowth using city forces or a contractor after ten days' notice by certified or regular mail and posting, bill the property owner for the cost, and record a lien against the property that is superior to all liens except taxes; a lien delinquent more than 30 days may be foreclosed like a mortgage.
Violations & Fines
A violation is enforced as a public nuisance under Sec. 19-95 through the code enforcement board process in Chapter 7. Under Sec. 19-96, the city gives the owner at least ten days' notice by certified mail or regular mail plus posting on the property and at city hall before mowing; the city then bills the abatement cost to the owner and places a lien on the property, senior to every lien except taxes, foreclosable like a mortgage after 30 days' delinquency.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can grass or weeds legally grow on my Homestead property?
Does the height limit apply to my swale or the alley behind my lot?
What happens if I do not cut overgrown weeds after the city notices me?
Is my property exempt if I farm it?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Homestead
How Homestead compares: Cities with the Strictest Weed and Property Maintenance Rules·Florida rules heatmap·Compare Homestead to another location·View the Florida landscaping rules overview
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Weed Ordinances in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Miami-Dade County handle weed ordinances.