North Port, FL

North Port's land development code allows home-based businesses as an accessory use in every residential zoning district, by right, as long as the business complies with Florida's…

North Port exempts family day care homes that meet Florida Statute requirements from the special exception process that otherwise governs daycare facilities under the city's zoning use…

Florida's cottage food law (FS 500.80) lets residents make and sell certain non-hazardous foods from their home kitchen without a permit or inspection, as long as annual gross sales…

Florida Statute 559.955 caps how far Sarasota County can go in regulating a home-based business's sign: exterior changes, including signage, must stay consistent with the surrounding…

North Port doesn't write its own leash law. City Code § 10-31 adopts the Sarasota County Animal Control Ordinance by reference, making county leash and at-large rules enforceable…

North Port requires animal hospitals and veterinary offices to keep overnight boarding indoors, screen outdoor animal areas near homes, and limit noisy activities to daytime hours.

North Port allows up to four hens per 10,000 square feet of residential land, bans roosters and other livestock, and requires coops set back in the rear yard.

North Port requires outdoor wildlife rescue and sanctuary shelter areas to sit at least 500 feet from any single-family home and limits noisy activity to 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

North Port requires developers to avoid harming endangered and threatened bird species like the crested caracara and snowy plover, with ULDC Administrator review and possible federal…

Every cat four months or older in Sarasota County must be vaccinated against rabies, annually or every three years with a USDA-approved triennial vaccine, under Sec. 14-37. Only a…

Sarasota County declares a dog or other animal Vicious based on its conduct, not its breed: aggressive bites, repeated attacks on other animals, dog-fighting use, menacing behavior, or…

Sarasota County has banned the retail sale of dogs and cats from pet stores, flea markets and public thoroughfares since January 27, 2016. Sec. 14-53 exempts animal shelters, nonprofit…

Sarasota County has banned possessing any wild animal, for sale or otherwise, unless it was born and raised in captivity, under Sec. 14-81, on the books since a 1973 ordinance. Zoos…

Florida law requires every beekeeper to register their honeybee colonies with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, obtain inspection certificates, and renew annually…

Florida has no standalone hoarding statute; hoarders are prosecuted under Fla. Stat. 828.13 for confining animals without enough good, wholesome food and water, and under 828.12…

Florida law prohibits intentional feeding of black bears, alligators, crocodiles, sandhill cranes, foxes, raccoons, and pelicans. These FWC rules apply statewide regardless of local…

North Port bans blocking driveways, double parking, and wrong-side curb parking on city streets, enforced by parking tickets under City Code § 74-85.

North Port bans parking an inoperable vehicle on a residential lot unless it's enclosed, and any vehicle left on public property for five or more days is presumed abandoned and subject…

North Port requires boats, cars, RVs, and trailers parked in a front yard to sit entirely on a driveway, with the total number allowed set by lot size and heavy vehicles barred from…

North Port caps the number of boats, RVs and trailers a residential lot can host by lot size and requires them to sit on the driveway in front, or clear of side/rear easements.

North Port allows public EV charging stations as an accessory use in R-3 multi-family districts, requiring an ADA-accessible space, identifying signage, and a safe pedestrian…

North Port confines freight-carrying vehicles to marked loading/unloading zones, prohibiting standing anywhere that blocks the orderly flow of traffic.

North Port bans heavy-duty vehicle, bus, and semitrailer parking on residential lots under 30,000 square feet, and caps larger lots at one to three vehicles with mandatory buffering.

Florida caps the drop fee a tower can charge at half the posted rate if the owner shows up mid-tow, requires a signed itemized receipt, and forces storage lots within 10 to 15 highway…

North Port limits backyard fire pits to UL-listed containers that vent through a stack, duct, or chimney, burn only oak wood, and sit on the owner's own private property.

New one-and-two-family homes in North Port must place propane and other fuel storage tanks on the side or rear of the house, screened from the street, but the siting rule itself…

North Port bans open burning except for land clearing, contained cooking fires, approved warming or campfires, and fire-chief-approved ceremonial fires; most also need a Florida Forest…

North Port requires working smoke alarms in every new-construction dwelling, and in any dwelling undergoing an alteration, repair, or addition that triggers a certificate of occupancy…

North Port requires a fire department permit before anyone possesses, stores, manufactures, sells, discharges, or stages a pyrotechnic display involving fireworks anywhere in the city.

Sarasota County's Burn Ban Ordinance automatically prohibits all open fires whenever the Florida Forest Service's Keetch-Byram Drought Index for the county meets or exceeds 500. Fire…

Within the 220-foot Myakka River Protection Zone along the Myakka's main stem (river miles 7.5 to 41.5), Sarasota County Code carves out a defensible fire protection zone around…

North Port bars running or repairing a motor vehicle in a residential or noise-sensitive zone between 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m., and bans off-road recreational vehicles and motorcycles…

North Port bars construction and demolition equipment noise near homes from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays and 9 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. on weekends and holidays.

North Port caps outdoor sound by receiving land use: 50 dB(A) in noise-sensitive zones, 55-65 dB(A) for homes and businesses depending on time of day, and 80 dB(A) for industrial areas.

North Port drops the residential noise limit from 60 db(A) daytime to 55 db(A) overnight, 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays, 10 p.m. to 10 a.m. on weekends and holidays, measured at the…

North Port bans owning or harboring an animal that habitually barks, howls, meows or squawks loudly enough to cross a residential or commercial property line, enforceable as a…

North Port's noise ordinance exempts aircraft operations, including helicopters, from its maximum permissible sound level limits under City Code § 46-43(2)d: helicopter noise is not…

North Port bars leaf blowers and other lawn or garden tools between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. on weekdays and 10 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. on weekends and holidays if the noise crosses onto a…

North Port bars radios, TVs and musical instruments from creating excessive noise across a residential line between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., with added decibel caps for public spaces.

North Port requires an accessory dwelling unit and the primary home on the same lot to stay under one owner, unless the ADU independently meets every zoning-district requirement on its…

North Port has no separate impact fee line for accessory dwelling units: the city treats a new ADU as an added dwelling unit and calculates its fee using the closest listed residential…

North Port bans carports as the sole parking structure in the R-1 district: a single-family lot there needs an enclosed garage, and a carport is only allowed alongside at least 100…

North Port bars converting a garage to living space in the R-1 zoning district unless a replacement garage is built first, though the rule stays voluntary until July 1, 2027.

North Port allows one accessory dwelling unit per residential lot, capped at 800 square feet or 65% of the primary home's living area, with mandatory additional parking and common…

North Port's Unified Land Development Code names tiny homes as an allowed housing type in the Residential, Medium (R-2) zoning district, alongside cluster housing, co-living, and…

North Port requires a Certificate of Zoning Compliance and building permit for any seawall, bulkhead, or retaining wall along a canal, and sets the finished seawall cap at a minimum of…

North Port limits fences and walls to masonry, ornamental metal, wood, approved composites, vinyl-coated black or green chain link, vinyl, or living-wall cladding: chicken wire, barbed…

Residential fences top out at 4 feet in front yards and 8 feet on sides, rear, and waterfront; fences over 6 feet need a permit, and none may block a driveway or intersection…

North Port skips permitting for fences six feet or shorter on one- and two-family lots, but taller fences and walls of any height need a Certificate of Zoning Compliance and a building…

Florida's one statewide fence statute, §588.011, defines a legal fence as at least 3 feet high with three strands of wire on posts no more than 20 feet apart. Residential height…

North Port requires tree branches over a sidewalk to clear at least 8 feet and branches over the street's travel lanes to clear at least 14 feet; any lower impinging growth into the…

North Port requires at least half of all landscaping plants on new development to be Florida-native or Florida-friendly species, with existing native vegetation prioritized for…

North Port enforces the Southwest Florida Water Management District's year-round irrigation schedule as city law, with the city commission authorized to impose even stricter watering…

North Port bans grass and weeds taller than 12 inches on any developed lot within city limits. Property standards inspectors issue nuisance notices, and unresolved violations let the…

Removing a protected or heritage tree in North Port requires either on-site replacement meeting planting standards or payment of a per-tree mitigation fee calculated from species…

Backyard composting is allowed and encouraged in Sarasota County. County code prohibits letting grass clippings, vegetative material, or debris wash, sweep, or blow into stormwater…

North Port requires off-street parking for short-term rental units at a ratio of one space for every two guests, set out in the city's Table 4.10.3.1 vehicular parking schedule…

Owners renting a house, condo or room in unincorporated Sarasota County for six months or less must collect and remit a six percent Tourist Development Tax through the Sarasota County…

Sarasota County does not cap the number of rental nights or bookings per year. Florida law bars local governments from regulating the frequency or duration of vacation rentals, except…

Florida law preempts the regulation of vacation rental licensing and inspections to the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), though local zoning and…

Building a pool in North Port requires a building permit under the adopted Florida Building Code, plus a separate right-of-way use permit from Public Works obtained before you can even…

Before a new residential pool passes final inspection in Sarasota County, it needs at least one of five safety features under Florida Statutes § 515.27(1): a compliant perimeter…

Outdoor and sidewalk cafes in North Port must sit at least 100 feet from R-1 or R-2 zoning, keep a 60-inch clear walkway, and match the host restaurant's hours under the city's Unified…

North Port requires a special event permit from Parks and Recreation for any street fair, festival, or fair held on city property, including public right-of-way, filed at least 30 days…

North Port requires a special event permit for parades, festivals and fairs on city property, filed with Parks and Recreation at least 30 days before the event.

North Port requires a special event permit for any street or sidewalk closure, with a Public Works-approved traffic plan and an application filed at least 30 days ahead.

North Port requires a permit from the parks director for organized park activities like picnics, tournaments, and festivals, with applications detailing attendance, alcohol use, and…

North Port bans blocking building or park entrances and remaining in city facilities after posted hours; violators get a verbal warning first, then an officer-issued trespass warning…

Smoking cigarettes, e-cigarettes, vapes, and filtered cigars is banned at North Port's public parks except in designated smoking areas on improved parking lots; three natural parks…

North Port bans drinking alcohol and carrying open containers on any street, sidewalk, park, beach or other public property within city limits.

North Port requires outdoor fixtures on commercial, multifamily, and other non-exempt development to be shielded cutoff fixtures, bans most floodlighting, and caps illumination at the…

North Port caps outdoor lighting at 0.5 footcandles at property lines next to residential zones and 1.0 footcandle elsewhere, with mandatory shields to block glare and spill onto…

After a declared disaster, North Port residents must sort debris into five categories and stack it within three feet of the right-of-way; the city does not collect from commercial…

North Port requires new buildings to set their finished floor above the 100-year flood elevation, with additional freeboard required under the Florida Building Code, per the Unified…

Sarasota County doesn't publish a separate technical standard for hurricane shutters; it licenses who can install them. Code § 22-122(13)(k) creates a Hurricane Shutter Installer…

North Port limits single-family docks to one per lot, caps mooring at two vessels, and requires a five-foot side setback plus a Certificate of Zoning Compliance and building permit…

North Port requires every lot owner to maintain the stormwater swale in front of their property, including mowing, culvert care, and keeping the drainage flowline free of debris.

North Port requires the lowest floor of any building on a special flood hazard area parcel to sit above the base flood elevation, verified by a surveyor's elevation certificate before…

North Port requires a floodplain development permit from the Floodplain Administrator for any construction, filling, or grading wholly or partially within a mapped flood hazard area…

New one-and-two-family development in North Port must submit a site and drainage plan showing existing grades, swale routing, and positive drainage from rear to front before the city…

Sarasota County's Unified Development Code requires every off-street loading area serving retail, warehouse, industrial or similar commercial uses to be posted with signs telling…

Florida regulates construction seaward of the Coastal Construction Control Line through state permits, with uniform standards administered by the Department of Environmental Protection.

North Port requires mobile food vendors to hold a state license, operate only 7 a.m. to midnight, and stay at least 100 feet from homes, restaurants, and other food trucks under the…

North Port requires a city-issued makers market vendor permit for anyone selling goods at its quarterly maker's markets on city property, with separate registration windows for…

North Port limits mobile food vendors to one per commercial parcel, kept 100 feet from houses and other food vendors, with residential-district vending only at HOA-sanctioned events.

North Port requires all solid waste generated within city limits to be collected by the city's own solid waste district: residents and businesses cannot hire a private trash hauler for…

North Port bars putting garbage, recycling, and yard waste carts at the curb before 6 p.m. the evening before pickup, and requires empty carts back in storage by 10 p.m. on collection…

North Port gives each residential unit two free bulk-item pickups per fiscal year, capped at five cubic yards apiece, and requires a scheduled collection date before anything goes to…

North Port caps yard waste bundles at 4 feet long, 2 feet thick and 35 pounds, and bans plastic bags for curbside yard waste.

North Port pushes trash, recycling and yard waste pickup back one day after any week with an observed holiday, with the delay cascading through the rest of that week.

North Port requires residents to drain and clean cans, bottles, and food containers, flatten cardboard, and remove liners from pizza boxes before curbside recycling pickup.

North Port requires households and businesses to separate recyclable materials and yard waste from regular trash before it hits the curb: mixed containers get skipped, and knowingly…

North Port commercial customers must lease city-owned dumpsters or roll-offs and keep them in a corral whose design, including a concrete pad and drainage, is approved by the…

North Port bans dumping solid waste on streets, private property, or waterways, and treats any unauthorized pile as a nuisance the owner must clear within seven days.

North Port collects household waste, yard waste and recycling once a week each, with recycling alternating between paper one week and commingled material the next.

North Port requires a $2,000 annual adult use permit and confines adult businesses to the CG-S zoning district, 1,000 feet from any other adult use.

North Port requires any towing company that charges before releasing a vehicle to file its current rate schedule with the police department and post an identical schedule at the…

Secondhand dealers in unincorporated Sarasota County must register each location with the Florida Department of Revenue and obtain a local occupational license before transacting in…

Florida Statute 569.315 expressly preempts the regulation of the marketing, sale, and delivery of nicotine products and dispensing devices to the state, voiding most municipal…

A North Port garage sale sign must sit on private property with a 5-foot setback, stay under 12 square feet and 4 feet tall in residential areas, and come down within 14 days after the…

North Port's sign code defines any air-inflated, blower-powered display as an inflatable sign and bans balloon and inflatable signs citywide, with no exception in the ordinance text…

North Port limits window signs to commercial and industrial zoning districts under the Unified Land Development Code; window signs are prohibited outright in every residential district…

North Port bars any new billboards or off-premises signs citywide; only the 15 existing billboards along Interstate 75, approved by FDOT, may remain under the city's Unified Land…

North Port bars any new billboard, digital or traditional; the 15 legacy structures along I-75 remain, governed by FDOT approvals rather than the city's sign code.

Sarasota County lets political signs go up on private property without a sign permit starting 60 days before an election's qualifying date, bars any commercial advertising on them, and…

North Port caps single-family homes in R-1 and R-2 zones at 35 feet and mobile homes at 35 feet, while R-3 multi-family districts allow up to 70 feet under the city's dimensional…

North Port ULDC Table 3.2.3.2 caps impervious lot coverage by zoning district: 60% of the lot in R-1, 70% in R-2, 80% in R-3, with lower citywide totals when a project shares common…

North Port sets minimum front, side, rear and waterfront setbacks by zoning district in its Unified Land Development Code, with R-1 single-family lots requiring a 25-foot front…

North Port permits vegetable and fruit gardens in every zoning district and allows up to four hens per 10,000 square feet on residential lots, but bans roosters, commercial livestock…

Florida Statute 823.14, the Florida Right to Farm Act, protects established bona fide farm operations from nuisance suits and local ordinances that would inhibit standard agricultural…

Anyone can file a complaint about a suspected North Port zoning or land-development violation; Development Services logs it, investigates, and can refer the case to Code Enforcement…

North Port declares abandoned real property a public nuisance under City Code § 42-72, requiring owners and mortgagees to register, secure, and maintain vacant properties or face city…

North Port's lot-clearing ordinance bans debris accumulation and hazardous trees on every lot in the city, but the mandatory 12-inch grass-and-weed height limit applies only to…

North Port bans lodging out-of-doors on city property outright and requires a permitted sanitation facility, plus bars connecting to septic or water/wastewater systems, for any lodging…

North Port adopts Florida's statewide juvenile curfew law by reference, barring unsupervised minors from public places overnight: 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. on school nights and after midnight…

Sarasota County Parks close outside their posted hours under Code of Ordinances § 90-34. The Code Administrator sets those hours for every County Park, and anyone in a park after hours…

North Port bans exterior and motor vehicle burglar alarms that don't auto-terminate within 15 minutes of activation under the city's noise ordinance.

North Port bans loading and unloading noise near homes between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. on weekdays and 7 p.m. to 10 a.m. on weekends and holidays.

North Port limits noise from air conditioners, pumps, and other continuously running equipment to 60 dB(A) at the neighboring property line and 55 dB(A) at a neighbor's patio, porch…

North Port caps amplified sound in bars and nightclubs by an hourly noise-exposure table and requires a hearing-warning sign if levels exceed it.

A generator or pump run during a power outage, flood, or other emergency in unincorporated Sarasota County is exempt from Sec. 54-118's decibel limits, but only while its manufacturer…

North Port limits outdoor cooking and smoking fires to UL-listed grills, split oak wood or charcoal, or an approved masonry fire container, with flames capped at one foot.

An outdoor kitchen built in a Sarasota County Special Flood Hazard Area is regulated as an accessory structure: it must be anchored against flotation and built of flood-resistant…

North Port requires developers to plant street trees along development frontages and private rights-of-way at a set spacing, using only species approved on the city's street tree list.

North Port's land development code requires developers to follow federal and state wildlife-agency guidance for the American Alligator, Florida Bonneted Bat, and Florida Panther before…

North Port designates heritage trees by species-specific point thresholds -- 80 points for live oaks, magnolias, cypress and cedar, 60 for pines -- and requires ULDC Administrator…

North Port enforces the Florida Building Code, including its electrical provisions and referenced National Electrical Code, as the city's adopted Building Code: electrical work…

North Port exempts ground-level decks and pavers from zoning setbacks, but elevated decks, screened enclosures, and pools must meet the accessory structure setback for their zoning…

North Port requires a complete fire sprinkler system in every multifamily building with three or more attached units, under NFPA 13, 13R, or 13D.

North Port enforces the Florida Building Code, including its Plumbing volume, as the city's building code, so plumbing work requires a permit reviewed by the city's Building Division…

North Port's fire code sets equipment standards for elevators in taller buildings, requiring stretcher-size cars, backup power, and emergency communication systems tied to ASME/ANSI…

Contractors and property owners doing permitted work in unincorporated Sarasota County must call for inspection within five business days of finishing the job. Building Code § 105.1…

Sarasota County licenses every child care facility caring for five or more unrelated children and holds the building to specific safety standards: approved fire-prevention and…

North Port treats solar arrays as an accessory use with fixed height limits and a required recorded easement, not a discretionary permit.

Florida law voids any deed restriction, covenant, or HOA agreement that bans or effectively blocks solar collectors on homes or condo units, and boards cannot deny installation…

North Port's exterior property maintenance code adopts International Property Maintenance Code Sections 301, 302, 304, 308 and 309 by reference, folding IPMC's pest-elimination and…

North Port awards density bonuses on top of a parcel's base zoning allowance for qualifying development types like affordable housing, land assembly, and hurricane-resistant…

North Port bans planting golden bamboo anywhere in the city under its prohibited plant species list in the land development code.

North Port bans planting over 100 listed invasive plants citywide, plus any species on the current FLEPPC invasive plant lists.

North Port asks reclaimed water customers to avoid irrigating with reclaimed water between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily and to use it only for lawn, garden and plant irrigation needs.

North Port requires a right-of-way use permit from the Road and Drainage District before anyone builds, installs, or places structures or fixtures within city road right-of-way, which…

North Port bans parking, standing, or stopping any vehicle on or across a sidewalk citywide, with parked vehicles and boats on residential lots barred from interfering with sidewalk…

Owners and occupants of land abutting a Local Road in Sarasota County's Urban Service Area must keep the sidewalk area free of Excessive Growth and control weeds along both sides of…

Garage and yard sales in North Port skip the temporary use permit only if they run no more than three consecutive days and happen no more than four times a year.

North Port's land development code protects only city-owned historic buildings listed on the National Register or a Florida Master Site File, requiring Secretary of the Interior's…

North Port levies its local business tax receipt on three categories: businesses with a permanent location, professions or occupations with a permanent location, and…

Sarasota County's locally amended Building Code makes any unfit or unsafe structure a public nuisance. Section 22-34 (Fla. Building Code Sec. 103.5) lets the Building Official order…

Fla. Stat. § 83.56 requires a 3-day notice to pay rent or vacate for nonpayment, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays from the count. For lease violations, the landlord…

Florida's Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, Chapter 83 Part II, exclusively defines lawful eviction grounds and procedures statewide, preempting cities from adding just-cause…

Under Fla. Stat. § 83.53, a Florida landlord must give at least 24 hours' notice to enter for repairs and may enter only at reasonable times, defined as between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m…

For a month-to-month tenancy, Fla. Stat. § 83.57 now requires 30 days' written notice (raised from 15 days by 2023's HB 1417). Breaking a fixed-term lease triggers landlord remedies…

Florida effectively bans local rent control. State law bars any city or county from imposing controls on rents, and the 2023 Live Local Act removed the old narrow exception that had…

Florida has no rent control and no statute setting a maximum rent increase or a dedicated advance-notice period. On a month-to-month tenancy, a new rent takes effect only through the…

Florida Statute 509.032(7) preempts local regulation of vacation rental bans, duration, and frequency, while FS 83.425 (2023) preempts local regulation of residential tenancies…

Florida places no dollar limit on residential security deposits, but it enforces tight deadlines. If the landlord makes no claim, the deposit must be returned within 15 days of…

Adverse possession in Florida requires 7 years of actual, continued, exclusive possession plus paying all taxes within a year and filing a return with the property appraiser (Fla…

Sarasota County allows Medical Marijuana Dispensaries as a standards-based permitted use across its Unified Development Code rather than banning them outright, but UDC Sec…

Sarasota County keeps medical marijuana dispensaries away from places children and worshippers gather. UDC Sec. 124-150(a)(5) bars co-locating a dispensary with any medical office…

Florida prohibits home cultivation of cannabis for both recreational and medical use; only state-licensed Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers may grow cannabis.

Sarasota County still runs its Chapter 122 red light camera program in the unincorporated county, fining the registered owner of any vehicle a camera catches entering an intersection…

Sarasota County's only stand-alone bicycle ordinance requires a working headlight and taillight, or rear reflector, any time a bicycle is ridden on a county roadway or dedicated bike…

Florida flips the usual assumption: a golf cart is barred from public roads unless a county, a municipality, or a water control district has affirmatively designated that road for cart…

Sarasota County levies a six percent Tourist Development Tax on hotels, motels, resort motels, apartments, roominghouses, mobile home parks, RV parks and condominiums rented for six…

Commercial drone operations in Florida are regulated by federal FAA Part 107 and state law; local governments cannot impose additional commercial operation restrictions.

Florida expressly preempts local regulation of drones, reserving authority to the state and federal government, with limited surveillance and trespass exceptions.

Florida Statute 218.077 prohibits local governments from establishing a minimum wage other than the state or federal rate, preempting city and county living-wage ordinances except for…

Florida Statute 509.032(7) and broader employment preemption framework prevent local governments from requiring private employers to follow predictive or fair-scheduling rules beyond…

Florida allows permitless concealed carry of firearms by law-abiding adults under FS 790.01 and continues to issue concealed weapon licenses through FS 790.06, with both regimes…

Florida Statute 790.33 expressly preempts the entire field of firearm and ammunition regulation to the state, voiding all local ordinances and imposing personal civil penalties on…

Florida's open carry ban (FS 790.053) was struck down by the First District Court of Appeal in McDaniels v. State on September 10, 2025. The Florida Attorney General issued guidance on…

Florida Statute 790.25(5) allows any law-abiding person 18 or older to possess a concealed firearm in a private vehicle for self-defense, provided the firearm is securely encased or…

Florida cardrooms operate only inside licensed pari-mutuel facilities, dog tracks, horse tracks, and jai alai frontons, under a license from the Florida Gaming Control Commission. Fla…

Florida lets charitable, nonprofit, and veterans' organizations run bingo without applying for any state gaming license: the statute itself sets the eligibility bar and the limits. A…

Florida law exempts small-stakes card and tile games from gambling crimes under Fla. Stat. § 849.085, but only under strict conditions: winnings per hand can't exceed $10, the game…

Sports wagering is legal in Florida only through the Seminole Tribe's Hard Rock Bet platform, authorized under the state's gaming compact codified at Fla. Stat. § 285.710(13)(b)7…

Under Fla. Stat. § 720.3085, unpaid assessments become a lien on a parcel, and the homeowners' association may foreclose like a mortgage. Before recording the lien the association must…

Under Fla. Stat. § 720.303(2), Florida HOA board meetings must be open to members with notice posted at least 48 hours ahead. Section 720.306 governs member meetings and elections, §…

Under Fla. Stat. §§ 720.303 and 720.3035, a Florida HOA enforces its recorded covenants and architectural standards, but only where authority is stated or reasonably inferred in the…

Florida Statute 163.04 bars homeowner association deed restrictions and local ordinances from prohibiting clotheslines, solar collectors, or other renewable-resource energy devices in…

Florida law bars HOA declarations, articles, and bylaws from prohibiting Florida-friendly landscaping, defined by statute as drought-tolerant, water-conserving design. Section…

Florida law bars homeowners associations from stopping owners from flying up to two flags, each no larger than 4 1/2 by 6 feet, including the U.S. flag, Florida's state flag, military…

Under Fla. Stat. § 720.305, a Florida HOA may fine up to $100 per violation and $1,000 in the aggregate unless the governing documents allow more. The association must give at least 14…

A Florida association can foreclose an assessment lien in the same manner a mortgage is foreclosed, but only after two separate 45-day notices, and fines are largely off limits: a…

Florida limits how homeowners' associations can restrict renting out a home, but only in communities governed by Chapter 720, not condos or co-ops. Under Fla. Stat. § 720.306(1)(h), a…

Florida allows sobriety checkpoints, and the discretion of the individual trooper is what gets constrained. Fla. Stat. § 321.05(1) gives Florida Highway Patrol officers the power to…

Florida is an all-party consent state, but that rule reaches less far than it sounds. Fla. Stat. § 934.03(2)(d) makes interception lawful only when every party consents, while §…

Florida has no general stop-and-identify statute. The Florida Stop and Frisk Law, Fla. Stat. § 901.151(2), lets an officer temporarily detain you to ascertain your identity when…

Florida wrote the automobile exception into its statutes in 1927. Fla. Stat. § 933.19 adopts the United States Supreme Court's decision of March 2, 1925 in the Carroll case, reported…

Florida Statute 403.7033 preempts the regulation of disposable plastic bags by local governments, prohibiting cities and counties from enacting bans or fees on retailers pending a…

Florida Statute 500.90 preempts the regulation of polystyrene products by local governments, blocking cities and counties from banning expanded polystyrene foam food containers, cups…

Florida Statute 569.101 prohibits the sale or delivery of tobacco and nicotine products to persons under 21, aligning with federal law and applying uniformly statewide under the…

Florida is one of the states that says yes to underbody lighting in so many words. Fla. Stat. § 316.235(3) provides that any motor vehicle may be equipped with one or more lamps or…

Florida does not give dash cameras a windshield carve-out. Fla. Stat. § 316.2952(2) is written as a closed list of exactly four things that may be attached to, or located in or upon, a…

Florida bans lane splitting in so many words. Fla. Stat. section 316.209(3) states that no person shall operate a motorcycle between lanes of traffic or between adjacent lines or rows…

Florida treats an obscured plate as a crime, not a ticket. Fla. Stat. section 320.061(1) makes it unlawful to apply or attach any substance, reflective matter, illuminated device…

A driver of a private passenger vehicle may use a radar detector in Florida. No section of the Florida Statutes prohibits owning, carrying or operating one, and chapter 316, which…

Florida does not ban studded tires and does not restrict them to a winter season. The one wheel-surface provision in the traffic code, Fla. Stat. section 316.299, prohibits driving on…

Florida sets a separate light transmittance floor for each piece of glass rather than one statewide number. Side wings and side windows forward of or next to the driver must pass at…