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

Unlike many incorporated cities (such as Ocala), unincorporated Marion County does not impose a single uniform maximum grass height (e.g., a fixed 12- or 18-inch limit) on private residential lots countywide; the county's rural character and large agricultural land base mean mowing is largely handled locally. Excessively overgrown property that threatens health may be abated as a sanitary nuisance under Florida Statute 386.01, which broadly defines a sanitary nuisance as anything by which the health or life of individuals may be threatened or impaired or through which disease may be caused. The county operates more than 60 Municipal Service Taxing Units (MSTUs), Benefit Units (MSBUs), and Service Districts that fund enhanced roadside mowing and right-of-way maintenance within specific neighborhoods. Property owners with overgrowth complaints in unincorporated areas should contact Marion County Code Enforcement (Growth Services), which enforces nuisance conditions on a complaint basis.