Polk County, FL Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Polk County's Property Maintenance Ordinance (Ord. No. 08-047), codified at Chapter 8, Article VII, applies in all unincorporated areas of the county (Sec. 8-152) and puts a duty on every property owner to 'reasonably regulate and effectively control the accumulations of junk, debris, and unserviceable vehicles and overgrown lots' (Sec. 8-154). It is unlawful to use a residential property for open storage of junk or debris, or to discard an accumulation of junk or debris on public or private land outside a licensed salvage yard (Sec.

8-155(a)-(b)). Organic debris, meaning yard and vegetative waste, is capped at six cubic yards on any lot for more than thirty days, an exception that does not apply to lots larger than one acre or to land that has not been cleared or disturbed in the past (Sec. 8-155(c)). Distressed or abandoned vehicles cannot sit on residential property outside a fully enclosed garage, with one exception allowed in a rear yard if kept at least five feet from a property line and screened from neighboring view, not with a tarp or sheet metal (Sec.

8-155(e)(1)). A vacant structure that is 'open to the public,' meaning any residential, commercial, or industrial building not lawfully occupied where part of the exterior, a door, or a window is in disrepair, open, or unsecured, is separately unlawful (Sec. 8-155(h)), and owners must display a legible building number at least three inches tall (Sec. 8-155(i)). A code officer who confirms a violation mails the owner certified notice and posts a placard, and the owner has ten days to correct it before the Building and Codes Division abates the violation and assesses the cost against the property, including for unserviceable vehicles removed by a licensed wrecker (Sec.

8-158(a)-(c)). 3632, and a repeat violation on the same property within five years makes the owner liable for both the original and recurring cleanup costs (Sec. 8-158(d)-(e)). 00 fee, though the Magistrate cannot waive costs already incurred by the county (Sec. 8-159(a), 8-158(f)). Obstructing a code officer carrying out this article is a separate misdemeanor (Sec. 8-156).