Tampa, FL Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Registration deadline
- 15 days after vacancy found
- Weed/vegetation cap
- 10 inches
- Sign size
- 18x24 in, legible from 45 ft
- Manager response time
- 24 hours
- Unpaid abatement
- liened after 30 days
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 2009-180 (2009)
Summary
Tampa's Foreclosure Registry ordinance (Code Ch. 19, Div. 8) makes mortgagees register any Tampa property in mortgage default that is vacant or shows signs of vacancy within 15 days of finding it that way. Registered properties must then be kept landscaped, secured, and free of weeds or dead vegetation over 10 inches tall.
Properties subject to this division shall be kept free of weeds, overgrown brush, dead vegetation, trash, junk, debris, building materials, any accumulation of newspapers, circulars, flyers, notices, except those required by federal, state, or local law, discarded personal items including, but not limited to, furniture, clothing, large and small appliances, or any other items that give the appearance that the property is abandoned or not being properly maintained. Weeds, overgrown brush or dead vegetation over ten (10) inches tall are prohibited.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 148).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 19-131 states the division's purpose is to limit deterioration of foreclosure and lender-owned property and protect neighborhoods from blight caused by inadequate maintenance of abandoned, vacated mortgaged property. Sec. , who must respond to any violation report within 24 hours; the city charges a registration fee set by council resolution, renewed annually while the property stays vacant. Sec. 19-136 is the maintenance standard: registered properties must be kept free of weeds, overgrown brush, dead vegetation, trash, junk, debris, and discarded items, with "weeds, overgrown brush or dead vegetation over ten (10) inches tall" expressly prohibited, landscaping maintained, and pools kept clear and functioning.
Sec. 19-137 requires the property secured against unauthorized entry, windows, doors, and gates closed and locked, broken windows reglazed or boarded, and posted with an 18-by-24-inch sign, legible from 45 feet, giving the property manager's name and a 24-hour contact number. Sec. 19-138 lets the code enforcement board or special magistrate order abatement if the property poses a serious threat, charge the mortgagee the abatement cost, and even require an on-site security guard where vagrancy or vandalism is found. The division was adopted by Ord. No. 2009-180 in 2009 and amended by Ord. No. 2010-40 in 2010.
Violations & Fines
Failing to register, update a registration, or maintain a vacant property under this division is a Code of Ordinances violation enforceable by any means available to the city. If the code enforcement board or special magistrate finds a serious threat to health or safety, it can direct city crews to abate the condition and bill the mortgagee; unpaid invoices become a recorded lien plus an administrative fee after 30 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has to register a vacant property in Tampa under this ordinance?
How overgrown can the yard get on a registered vacant property?
What must the posted notice at a vacant property say?
What if the mortgagee refuses to pay for city abatement work?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tampa
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