Ocala, FL Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

Beyond the weed-height rule, Section 34-95 of the Ocala Code reaches the debris and clutter that piles up on lots without an active occupant. Subsection (a)(4) bars leaving unsightly or unsanitary items, furniture, appliances, trash and trash cans meant for indoor use out in a yard, though trash cans stored near a building are exempt. Subsection (a)(6) requires tree debris and fallen limbs to be cleared within 14 days of falling, with narrow carve-outs for wood neatly stacked in three-foot lengths in a side or rear yard, property zoned A-1 Agriculture, and composting that otherwise complies with state law.

The section's subsection (b) puts the health officer in charge of notifying whoever is responsible and pushing the property into compliance, the same official who runs the notice-and-hearing abatement track under Section 34-92: a 20-day cure period, then a municipal code enforcement board or special magistrate hearing, then city abatement at the owner's expense plus a $100.00 service charge lien if the owner does nothing. Because Section 34-95 covers 'any owner or occupant of property located within the city' without regard to whether a building on the lot is occupied, an empty or unimproved parcel is squarely covered, and Ordinance No. 5873's Section 2-461 lets a code enforcement officer skip straight to a citation for the same violation instead of waiting on a board hearing.