Tamarac, FL Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)
Key Facts
- Height trigger
- 8 inches or more counts as excessive growth
- Who must comply
- Owner, agent, custodian, lessee, or occupant
- Also covers
- Adjoining right-of-way swale strip
- Native plant exemption
- Mature Florida ecological communities excluded
- Notice period
- 10 days to abate after notice of violation
- Unpaid cost
- 10% annual interest; lien on property
Summary
In the City of Tamarac, Code section 9-79 requires every owner, agent, custodian, lessee, or occupant to control excessive growth of grass, weeds, brush, and overgrowth on their property and the adjoining right-of-way swale. Section 9-76 defines excessive growth as reaching a height of eight inches or more, which triggers nuisance-abatement enforcement by the city's code compliance division.
Excessive growth means grass, weeds, rubbish, brush, branches, or undergrowth that has reached a height of eight (8) inches or more. ... Every owner and, if applicable, every agent, custodian, lessee, or occupant of property shall reasonably regulate and effectively control the excessive growth of grass, weeds, brush, and other overgrowth (i) on the property, and (ii) that portion of the adjoining public right-of-way between the property and the paved or graded street. Excessive growth of grass, weeds, brush, and other overgrowth that exceeds the height limitations as provided for in chapter 11 of this Code, as may be amended from time to time, is prohibited.
Full Breakdown
Tamarac treats overgrown grass and weeds as a declared public nuisance under section 9-77, alongside trash, fill, and derelict vehicles, because untended growth can harbor rodents, vermin, and mosquitoes and depreciate neighboring property values. Section 9-79 exempts vegetative growth that is a mature Florida ecological community as defined in the Soil Conservation Service publication Ecological Communities in Florida, unless the city manager determines it poses an imminent public-health threat, in which case removal can be ordered without the standard notice. Enforcement starts with a notice of violation under section 9-82 giving the owner, agent, or occupant ten calendar days to abate the overgrowth, or fifteen days to appeal the notice to the city commission as an unwarranted citation.
If the appeal fails or the deadline passes unaddressed, section 9-84 lets the city clear the lot itself and assess the actual cleanup cost, plus administrative expenses, against the property. Under section 9-85.1, the entire city is a standing special-assessment district, so unpaid cleanup costs are certified to the Broward County Property Appraiser and collected on the property tax bill as a non-ad valorem assessment, with the potential for a tax certificate and an eventual tax deed sale if it goes unpaid long enough.
Violations & Fines
If the ten-day correction window lapses without abatement, or a fifteen-day appeal to the city commission fails, section 9-84 authorizes the city to mow or clear the lot itself and bill the owner for the actual cost plus administrative expenses. Unpaid balances accrue interest at ten percent per year, are certified to the property tax roll as a non-ad valorem assessment, and can lead to a tax certificate bearing up to eighteen percent interest or a later tax deed sale of the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can my grass or weeds be in Tamarac before it's a violation?
Does Tamarac exempt native landscaping from the grass-height rule?
What happens if I don't cut overgrown grass after a Tamarac notice?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tamarac
How Tamarac compares: Cities with the Strictest Weed and Property Maintenance Rules·Florida rules heatmap·Compare Tamarac to another location·View the Florida landscaping rules overview
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