Miami-Dade's Rainy-Season Fertilizer Ban Ends Sunday, November 1 - but the County's Rules Still Apply
Nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer has been prohibited on Miami-Dade lawns since May 15. The ban lifts Sunday - with yearly nitrogen caps, slow-release rules, waterway setbacks and a hard stop whenever heavy rain is forecast or the ground is saturated.
Today is the last day of the ban. Miami-Dade County's rainy-season fertilizer restriction - which prohibits applying fertilizer containing nitrogen or phosphorus to lawns and landscapes from May 15 through October 31 - ends Sunday, November 1, when those nutrients may be used again, according to the county ordinance guides read by the Local Desk this morning. The ordinance, Chapter 18C of the county code, applies throughout Miami-Dade, including inside its cities, which may add their own restrictions.
The end of the blackout is not the end of the rules. Outside the restricted period, the county still caps nitrogen at no more than 4 pounds per 1,000 square feet per calendar year - 1 pound per application of solid fertilizer, half a pound per application of liquid - requires at least 65% slow-release nitrogen in granular mixes, and keeps fertilizer setbacks from waterways and storm drains. The county adopted the ordinance in April 2021 to keep nutrient runoff out of Biscayne Bay.
And this weekend, the weather itself says wait. The guides are explicit: no nitrogen or phosphorus during severe weather advisories, when more than 2 inches of rain in 24 hours is forecast, or on saturated ground - and the station's forecast puts Sunday's rain chance at 84 percent. Exemptions exist for bona fide farms, vegetable and community gardens, athletic fields and certain golf courses and parks. For everyone else: the spreader can come out Sunday, but only when the ground and the forecast allow.
