Artificial Turf in Orange Park and Clay County
If your yard backs up to a pond, a creek or large trees, the state turf standard speaks to each of them.
Around Orange Park, Fleming Island and Middleburg
Calls are recorded for quality assurance.
The state standard applies here
Florida's standard for artificial turf on single-family lots of one acre or less applies in Clay County and the towns in it. A local government cannot ban turf that meets it.
Which office handles a permit, if one is needed, depends on the address: the town or the county. Ask the building department for your property.
Retention ponds and swales
If your lot borders a retention pond or has a swale along the lot line, note that the state standard does not allow turf in a swale, ditch, stormwater pond or the pond's littoral zone, and turf cannot alter the neighborhood's permitted stormwater system.
Walk your lot with the installer and mark where the drainage runs before the layout is drawn.
Septic tanks
If your home is on a septic system, the tank has to stay reachable for pumpout. The standard says turf must provide access to the tank. Ask the installer to mark the lid and plan an easy way to lift the turf there.
Mature trees
If your yard has large trees, turf cannot go inside a drip line unless a certified arborist certifies that the tree will not be harmed. It also cannot go inside the drip line of a tree on the next lot.
Creeks and waterfront
Where no local buffer exists, turf stays at least 10 feet from a natural or man-made water body, measured from the water line, unless a seawall or bulkhead is in between. Backyards on the St. Johns River, a creek or a pond need that measured before the layout.
Questions to ask
- Which building office covers my address, the town or the county?
- Where does water run across my lot?
- Where is my septic tank, if I have one?
- How far is the turf from the trees, the pond and the water?
- Does my HOA or CDD have turf rules?
Clay County questions
Does Clay County require a permit for turf?
This site could not confirm a county rule. Ask the building department for your address whether a turf job needs a permit.
Can my HOA stop me from putting turf in the back yard?
Not if the turf cannot be seen from the street, a neighbor's lot, a common area or a golf course. See the rules page.
Ready when you are
Call now, or send the form. A local pro calls you back, usually the same business day.
Calls are recorded for quality assurance.