Highlands County, FL Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

Highlands County's Standard Housing Code, adopted as Article 19 of the Land Development Regulations, sets the minimum habitability floor for every rental dwelling unit in the unincorporated area. 301 bars anyone from occupying or letting a dwelling unit for living, sleeping, cooking or eating, and bars leaving a dwelling vacant, unless it meets the article's minimum facilities. A requires every unit to have a kitchen sink, lavatory, tub or shower and a water closet, each in good working condition and connected to an approved water and wastewater system, with every fixture, water pipe and waste pipe kept free from defects, leaks and obstructions.

Subsection C requires an adequate supply of both hot and cold water at the kitchen sink, lavatory and tub or shower, and subsection D requires water heating facilities capable of delivering water at not less than 120°F (49°C) at every required fixture; apartment houses may meet this with a centralized water heater under the Standard Plumbing Code. The same section also requires heating facilities that can safely and adequately heat every habitable room and bathroom, and functioning kitchen facilities including a food preparation surface, storage, a cook stove and mechanical refrigeration. 109. 500, with occupants given a stated vacate date in the housing official's written notice.