Pembroke Pines, FL Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- § 101.02 definitions; § 101.05 duty to control
- Excessive growth threshold
- 8 inches or more
- Applies to
- Improved or unimproved (vacant) lots
- Notice period
- 20 calendar days to abate (§ 101.08)
- Appeal window
- 15 days to appeal to City Commission (§ 101.09)
- Cost recovery
- Cleanup cost becomes a lien on the property
Summary
Pembroke Pines Code § 101.02 defines EXCESSIVE GROWTH as grass, weeds, brush, or undergrowth reaching eight inches or more, and § 101.05 requires every owner to control that growth on the property and the adjoining right-of-way. Violators get a 20-day notice to cut, a 15-day appeal window, and city cleanup billed to the property.
EXCESSIVE GROWTH. Grass, weeds, rubbish, brush, branches, or undergrowth that has reached a height of eight inches or more. ... (A) (1) 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: (a) On the property, and (b) That portion of the adjoining public right-of-way between the property and the paved or graded street.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-61: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 2056, passed 12-11-25).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 101, enacted by Ordinance 1716 on May 2, 2012, and titled to address nuisance conditions on any lot, tract, or parcel, applies whether the property is improved or unimproved, covering vacant lots directly. 02 defines EXCESSIVE GROWTH as grass, weeds, rubbish, brush, branches, or undergrowth that has reached a height of eight inches or more, and separately defines GRASS, WEEDS, OR BRUSH the same way while excluding intentionally landscaped bushes, shrubs, trees, vines, and flowering plants. 05(A) obligates every owner, agent, custodian, lessee, or occupant of a property to reasonably regulate and effectively control excessive growth both on the lot itself and on the adjoining public right-of-way between the property and the paved or graded street.
03 backs this duty by declaring excessive growth, along with accumulated trash, junk, or debris, a nuisance and menace to public health, safety, and welfare because it depreciates neighboring property values and can force the city into repeat cleanups at taxpayer expense. 12. 09, and if the appeal fails, the property must be cleaned up within 15 days of the Commission's decision.
Violations & Fines
Failure to abate excessive growth within the 20-day notice period under § 101.08 lets the city perform the cleanup itself and certify the actual cost, plus notice and title-search expenses, as a non-ad valorem special assessment lien against the property under § 101.10. An owner who wants to contest the violation must file a written appeal with the City Clerk within 15 days of receiving notice; losing that appeal starts a new 15-day clock to clean up the property before the city acts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can grass or weeds get on a vacant lot in Pembroke Pines before it's a violation?
Does the vacant-lot rule apply to unimproved property or only occupied homes?
How much notice does the city give before cleaning up an overgrown lot?
Can I appeal a notice of violation for an overgrown lot?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pembroke Pines
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Pembroke Pines to another location·View the Florida property maintenance overview
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