Martin County, FL Water Use Rules: Turf Replacement Rebates (2026)
Key Facts
- Allowed turf uses
- Pedestrian traffic, recreation, septic cover, erosion control
- Plan requirement
- Turf areas must be quantified on landscape plan
- Preferred grass type
- Drought-tolerant over traditional turf varieties
- Native planting minimum
- 50% of required trees/shrubs/groundcover
- Governing section
- LDR Sec. 4.664.E, Article 4, Division 15
- Reviewing agency
- Martin County Growth Management Department
Summary
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 or hold soil on slopes and swales. Drought-tolerant grasses are preferred over traditional turf, and every turf area has to be measured and shown on the landscape plan.
The use of drought-tolerant grasses is preferred over traditional turf grass varieties. Grass areas may be sodded, plugged, sprigged or seeded, provided that solid sod shall be used in swales, rights-of-ways or other areas subject to erosion... Irrigated turfgrass areas shall be consolidated and limited to those areas on the site that receive pedestrian traffic, provide for recreation use, provide cover for on-site sewage disposal systems, or provide soil erosion control such as on slopes or in swales; and where turfgrass is used as a design unifier or other similar practical use. Turf areas shall be quantified and identified on the landscape plan.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 62 | Land Development Regulations: Supplement 62).
Full Breakdown
The Martin County Land Development Regulations set turf limits in Article 4, Division 15 (Landscaping, Buffering and Tree Protection), Sec. 664, Landscape material standards. E, Ground treatment, governs how the portion of a required landscaped area not covered by trees or shrubs gets planted, and it does not treat grass as a default choice. Item 4 states that 'the use of drought-tolerant grasses is preferred over traditional turf grass varieties,' while still allowing sod, plugs, sprigs or seed, with solid sod mandatory in swales, rights-of-way and other erosion-prone spots.
' The same sentence requires every turf area to be 'quantified and identified on the landscape plan,' so the Growth Management Department can confirm compliance before approving a site plan. The rule sits alongside the county's native-planting standard in Sec. A, which requires at least 50 percent of required trees, shrubs and ground cover, other than grass, to be native species drawn from resources such as the South Florida Water Management District's Xeriscape Plant Guide. Together the two subsections push new commercial, multifamily and PUD landscaping away from wall-to-wall sod and toward drought-tolerant, low-irrigation groundcover.
Violations & Fines
A landscape plan that shows irrigated turfgrass outside the pedestrian-traffic, recreation, septic-cover or erosion-control uses listed in Sec. 4.664.E.5, or that fails to quantify its turf areas, does not meet the landscape material standards, and the Growth Management Department can reject the site plan or landscape plan submittal until it is revised to conform.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a new commercial development in Martin County landscape its whole site with sod?
Does Martin County require native or drought-tolerant grass specifically?
Where do these turf rules apply?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Martin County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Martin County to another location·View the Florida water use rules overview
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