Rio, FL

Martin County bans weeds and undergrowth over 12 inches tall on any lot, improved or unimproved, when the growth risks pests, fire, or drainage problems.

Martin County protects any native hardwood tree of 8 inches DBH or greater (4 inches on a development's perimeter) and allows removal only with county approval and a required…

Martin County bans letting vegetation hang across or above a public sidewalk or bicycle path if it blocks pedestrians or bicyclists from using it.

LDR Section 3.61.1 requires compost piles and any mechanical processing equipment to sit at least 300 feet back from every property line. That setback shrinks only when the adjoining…

Martin County restricts landscape irrigation to two assigned days a week based on address parity and bans all sprinkler use between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. year-round countywide.

Section 21.106 of the Code of Ordinances requires any private pool, hot tub or spa that can hold more than 24 inches of water to be fully surrounded by a fence or approved barrier at…

Martin County adopts the Florida Building Code for pool construction, and Code of Ordinances Sec. 21.106 sets its own barrier standard: any private pool, hot tub or spa holding more…

Martin County bans leaving a junked, salvage or abandoned vehicle anywhere in the unincorporated county, including on private property beyond five days, unless the lot is zoned for…

In Martin County's residential zoning districts, a resident may keep only one commercial vehicle or trailer of one ton or less on the property, and it must be garaged or screened from…

Martin County prohibits parking any vehicle overnight on County or Community Redevelopment Agency owned property without express written permission from the County.

Martin County bars parking, standing or stopping in posted no-parking zones, fire lanes, bus loading zones and beyond posted time limits under Sec. 115.20. Vehicle owners are presumed…

It is unlawful to park, stand or stop in any Martin County area marked as a bus or transit loading zone except while actually loading or unloading passengers. The Sheriff's Office and…

Martin County allows residents in Category A, B and C zoning districts to store boats, boat trailers, camping trailers, travel trailers and similar recreational vehicles in their…

Martin County does not require every pet to be microchipped up front, but the Code of Ordinances makes it mandatory the second time your dog or cat is picked up as a stray. Owners pay…

Grooming establishments operating in Martin County must meet detailed minimum-care standards under the Code of Ordinances: fire safety plans, a working emergency phone with a vet's…

Martin County requires veterinary clinics in its commercial districts to operate entirely inside a soundproofed, enclosed building with no outdoor boarding, under Land Development…

Martin County requires wildlife rehabilitation facilities to hold all required state and federal wildlife permits, keep animals in secure enclosures with no free-roaming, and set every…

Martin County requires a dog or cat to be spayed or neutered after its third confirmed impoundment as a stray or at-large animal, with the owner covering all sterilization costs before…

Martin County makes it unlawful to give food, tobacco, alcohol, or other substances to any wild animal in a County park, or to try to pet one.

Martin County has no breed ban: dogs are declared dangerous only for proven biting, attacking, or fighting behavior, regardless of breed.

Martin County pet stores can't sell dogs, cats, or rabbits off the shelf: only pre-existing, grandfathered stores may still sell dogs and cats.

Martin County presumes it is unlawful for any animal to be off its owner's property without a chain, leash, or other restraint, or a secure cage. The rule exempts working and hunting…

Martin County does not license or restrict ordinary backyard beekeeping by zoning, but Sec. 67.106 makes it unlawful to keep Africanized honey bees or their nests on any property. The…

Martin County only allows noncommercial backyard poultry and other barnyard animals like pigs, goats, sheep and cows in its agricultural and RE-2A rural-residential districts. Land…

Every owned cat over four months old in Martin County must be rabies-vaccinated and carry a County license tag, unless it qualifies as a community cat under the…

Martin County makes it a crime to take or attempt to take any bird, animal, fowl or reptile from a public road, street, highway or its right-of-way anywhere in the unincorporated…

LDR Section 3.67 caps a family day care home at eight children at any one time, including the caregiver's own kids, and requires state licensing compliance. The use is limited to…

Martin County allows a home occupation as an accessory use in residential districts, but its own Land Development Regulations defer entirely to state law. LDR § 3.201.C.2.k permits a…

Martin County bans fences and walls built with broken glass, spikes, exposed nails, barbed wire or electrified elements under LDR § 3.204.A.3. Nonresidential properties may add a…

Martin County lets fences, walls and hedges up to six feet tall skip the zoning district's normal setback line entirely, but drops that height to 30 inches inside the sight triangle at…

Martin County requires a County burning permit before anyone starts or maintains a fire outside a structure, including a backyard fire pit, on unincorporated land. A permitted…

Martin County enforces smoke alarm rules through its adopted Florida Fire Prevention Code, which incorporates NFPA 101 and NFPA 1 in full.

Martin County bans fireworks manufacturing outright and bars selling them except by a registered wholesaler from a sprinklered commercial building. Setting off fireworks at any public…

Open burning is illegal in unincorporated Martin County without a written burning permit from the local fire station, and permits only run 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. unless the Fire Rescue Chief…

Martin County's Land Development Regulations set mandatory noise abatement flight procedures for Witham Field: jet aircraft must reduce power after takeoff to hold a…

Martin County caps sound at a property line by land use and time of day, from 50 dB(A) at night near institutions up to 70 dB(A) daytime in industrial and agricultural areas.

Martin County caps exterior loudspeakers and live music that disturbs neighbors, with a stricter plainly-audible standard from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Landscape maintenance noise, including leaf blowers, that crosses a property line is banned countywide from 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.

Running a car, truck or boat engine without a working muffler is a noise-code violation in unincorporated Martin County. Sec. 67.305.C requires a muffler or equally effective device…

Martin County's noise ordinance flatly bans letting a dog or other animal habitually bark, whine, howl, squawk, screech, or crow in a way that is objectionable, enforced under section…

Construction equipment and outside construction work cannot run in unincorporated Martin County between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. under Code of Ordinances Sec. 67.305.B. A contractor who…

Martin County treats accessory dwelling units two ways. Countywide, LDR 3.51 allows them only as part of a nonresidential development, capped at three per lot. Inside a designated…

Martin County caps a residential utility storage shed at 250 square feet of floor area in every zoning district under Land Development Regulations Sec. 3.201.C.1.a. The shed also…

Martin County charges a 5% tourist development tax on rentals of six months or less, collected by the Tax Collector on top of state sales tax.

Martin County bans drinking or holding an open alcoholic beverage within 500 feet of a licensed bar or club outside enclosed buildings and private residences.

Martin County bans using e-cigarettes and other vapor-generating devices anywhere in the unincorporated county where traditional smoking is already off-limits under Florida's Clean…

Martin County bans skateboarding, skating, in-line skating and bicycling on County park property except on pathways, sidewalks or a designated skate park, under Sec. 17.9.A.2.u. A…

Martin County bans loud music and party noise that carries onto neighboring property between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., with audibility as prima facie proof.

Martin County closes New Monrovia Park, Lamar Howard Park and the Staff Sgt. Justin Johnson Memorial Park at Banner Lake to the general public during REACH, GAAP and BLAST after-school…

Martin County sets maximum non-consent towing and storage rates by resolution, and wrecker operators cannot charge above them or add unlisted fees.

LDR Section 3.53 bars an adult business from opening within 1,000 feet of any residential zoning district, another adult business, or a church or school, measured in a straight line…

Martin County pawnbrokers must keep a complete transaction record open to police inspection and file monthly reports with the Sheriff on state-prescribed forms. A person licensed to…

Dealers who buy, sell or exchange secondhand or antique jewelry, watches, gold, silver or other precious metals in Martin County must log every item with the seller's ID details and…

Martin County requires written County permission to use athletic fields as a group and to reserve pavilions for events in County parks.

Parades, festivals, races, and concerts on Martin County property count as "special events" and need a County permit before they can go forward.

Martin County exempts noncommercial food-preparation fires, like a backyard smoker, grill or barbecue pit, from the County burning permit otherwise required for any open fire, as long…

Martin County's fertilizer ordinance, the county's main lawn-and-landscape regulation, does not reach working farms. Sec. 67.438 exempts bona fide farm operations defined under the…

Martin County's A-2 Agricultural District, along with its A-1 and A-1A districts, sets the zoning framework that protects farming: a five-acre minimum lot in A-2, 25-foot yards, and a…

New development within Martin County's Planned Mixed-Use Village (PMUV) district, the 3,411-acre form-based code area west of Florida's Turnpike and north of S.W. Martin Highway, must…

Martin County's Land Development Regulations protect native hardwood trees eight inches DBH or larger, and pine or other native softwoods eight inches or larger on a site's perimeter…

Martin County's landscape standards cap where irrigated turfgrass can go: new development landscape plans can only place it where people actually walk, play, cover a septic drainfield…

Martin County's groundwater protection article requires development projects to hook into irrigation-quality reclaimed water whenever a distribution main sits within 100 feet of the…

Martin County allows medical marijuana treatment center (MMTC) dispensing facilities as a permitted use in any zoning district that also permits pharmacies, including the HB-1 Limited…

LDR Section 3.77.1 lets a medical marijuana treatment center dispensing facility locate in any zoning district that permits pharmacies, but bars it from opening within 500 feet of any…

Martin County's Land Development Regulations prohibit planting nine invasive species, including melaleuca, Brazilian pepper, Australian pine and carrotwood, anywhere development…

Martin County requires every elevator, escalator and dumbwaiter in an occupied building to be maintained safely and kept free of physical or fire hazards, with a current certificate of…

Martin County's Property Maintenance Code requires every rented dwelling, rooming or housekeeping unit to have a deadbolt lock with at least a one-inch throw operable from inside…

Martin County's Property Maintenance Code makes the Florida Plumbing Code, as adopted by the Florida Legislature, part of the enforceable standard for every existing structure in the…

Martin County requires every licensed day care to pass an annual fire inspection from the Fire Prevention Division before it can get or keep a certificate of occupancy, with fees due…

Martin County requires an active permit before altering electrical, plumbing, gas, or mechanical systems, and the Building Official inspects the work before, during, and after…

Martin County requires a county building permit before anyone constructs or repairs a roof, per the Building Department's permitting authority under Chapter 21 and the county's own…

Martin County's Property Maintenance Code requires every structure to be kept free of insect and rodent infestation, with prompt extermination and reinfestation prevention, under Sec…

Martin County exempts mobile food dispensing vehicles from the standard itinerant-merchant permitting steps. LDR § 3.209.2.H excuses food trucks from the zoning compliance application…

Martin County confines mobile food trucks and itinerant merchants to one type of site: an existing, legally operating commercial business where retail sales are already a permitted…

Door-to-door peddlers and itinerant merchants in Martin County must hold a business tax receipt before working the county. LDR § 3.209.2.B.1 requires every peddler and itinerant…

Martin County's sign ordinance regulates how billboards and other permitted signs may be lit rather than banning illumination outright. LDR Sec. 4.699.C lets a sign be lit directly or…

Every outdoor lighting fixture Martin County installs on private or public property, from parking-lot lights to security floodlights, must be downward-directed and shielded so no light…

Martin County's Land Development Regulations require industrial operations that create glare to shield it completely from view off-site. In both the M-1 Industrial District (LDR Sec…

Martin County caps window signage at 20 percent of a tenant space's total glass area. LDR Sec. 4.703.K applies the limit to plastic signs and signs painted directly on the glass…

Martin County lets political and other non-commercial signs go up on private property without a sign permit, but LDR Sec. 4.705.B requires written permission from the Building Director…

Martin County requires every new development to hold post-development runoff at predevelopment rate, volume, timing and quality, engineered to control a 25-year, three-day storm and a…

Every subdivision, building, fill operation and utility installation wholly or partly within a mapped Special Flood Hazard Area in unincorporated Martin County must comply with Land…

Martin County caps truck tractor and refrigeration trailer engine idling at five minutes inside any approved truck stop or travel center, per Land Development Regulations Sec…

Martin County requires detailed construction drawings for any residential or commercial dock, built to Florida Building Code standards, to be submitted to the County for review and…

Martin County requires accessory structures and utilities in Special Flood Hazard Areas to sit at or above the base flood elevation plus one foot, with primary buildings designed to…

Martin County requires erosion and sediment controls on every construction site to be installed, operated, and maintained so runoff doesn't reach the county storm sewer system.

Martin County limits yard sales to three consecutive days and no more than five sales per calendar year on any one property. LDR § 3.209.2.B.4 defines a yard sale broadly, covering…

Habitable buildings in unincorporated Martin County are capped at four stories or the height set for the zoning district in LDR Table 3.12.1, whichever is lower, under LDR Section…

LDR Table 3.12.1 sets a maximum building coverage percentage for commercial and industrial zoning districts under Section 3.12, ranging from 40 percent in COR-1 up to 60 percent in GC…

LDR Section 3.16 requires every structure to sit back from lot lines at least as far as Table 3.12.2 specifies for its zoning district, with the front setback applying to every side of…

Martin County's park camping rules require every generator running at a County campsite to be shut off by 10:00 p.m., alongside a matching ban on loud radios, stereos and other noise…

Bars, nightclubs and other commercial establishments in unincorporated Martin County cannot play music or run sound systems loud enough to disturb neighbors, and Sec. 67.305.K sets a…

Martin County code inspectors do not have to identify a song or lyrics to write a noise citation. Under Sec. 67.303 and Sec. 67.304.C.3 of the Code of Ordinances, detecting a rhythmic…

Martin County makes it unlawful to remove recyclable materials or recycling containers that residents have set out for collection, unless the remover is the person who placed the…

Martin County bans dumping solid or hazardous waste anywhere in the unincorporated county if it creates an unsanitary nuisance.

Martin County requires yard waste to be set out curbside only at the dwelling where it was generated. Residents cannot haul yard debris from another property to their own curb for…

Martin County no longer requires a county franchise to haul away bulky waste or construction debris, and residents may self-haul it to the landfill too.

Martin County requires single-family households to sort recyclables into county-issued bins, set them out by 4 p.m. the night before pickup, and keep containers clean.

Martin County requires every construction, demolition, or renovation site to store debris in a commercial container or hauling truck until removal, under Chapter 151 of the county code.

Martin County residents may put garbage and recycling carts out no earlier than 4 p.m. the day before pickup and must pull them back in within 36 hours after collection.

Martin County requires every unincorporated single-family home to use the county's franchised hauler, with carts out by 4 p.m. the day before pickup.

Martin County bars placing objects, debris, or material on public sidewalks or bike paths in a way that blocks pedestrians or cyclists, unless a permit is issued.

Martin County prohibits sleeping or camping overnight anywhere in a County park that isn't a designated campsite, covering beaches, lawns, fields and wooded areas unless the County…

Martin County caps industrial and commercial noise, including data center HVAC and generator sound, at fixed decibel levels measured at the property line.

After a hurricane, Martin County can enter private property and gated communities to clear disaster debris it deems a public health or safety threat.

Within Martin County's coastal building zone, covering Hutchinson Island and Jupiter Island, the coastal construction code requires major structures to be designed to withstand…

Martin County's Property Maintenance Code lets the Building Official declare any rental or other structure unfit for human occupancy over disrepair, filth, vermin, or missing utilities.

Working or placing anything in a Martin County road right-of-way, sidewalks included, requires a right-of-way use permit from the County Engineer before you start.

Martin County bans placing objects, debris, or vegetation on public sidewalks or bike paths that block pedestrian or bicycle use, with narrow exceptions.

Martin County's Property Maintenance Code makes the property owner or occupant responsible for keeping sidewalks, driveways, and walkways abutting their premises in proper repair and…

Martin County does not classify e-bikes into class 1/2/3 tiers locally, but its parks code bans riding any 'motorized recreation vehicle,' a term that expressly includes electronic…

Most Martin County parks open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 11:00 p.m. daily. Beaches, fishing piers, and canoe/kayak launches stay open around the clock unless the County closes them for…

Martin County's Historic Preservation Board (HPB) must approve any historical marker or plaque before it can be placed on a site designated to the local register of historic places…

Martin County levies a local business tax under Chapter 123 and issues a single, general business classification: every business, occupation or profession pays a flat $26.25 annual…

When Martin County's Building Official finds a structure unsafe, unfit for human occupancy, or unlawful, Sec. 21.75 makes it illegal to maintain or permit that condition to continue…