The short answer
Florida's Rule 62-308.100, effective May 19, 2026, sets statewide minimum standards for synthetic turf on single-family lots of one acre or less. It limits turf materials, requires infill to be clean silica sand, rock, shell, or other natural material, requires washed natural subgrade, a permeable system, and a 10-foot waterbody setback.
The short version
| Rule part | What it actually says | What it means for your yard |
|---|---|---|
| (2)(a) Materials | Turf, including backing and infill, must not contain heavy metals or intentionally added PFAS | Ask what is in the product — and note the wording: "intentionally added," not a blanket "PFAS-free" promise |
| (2)(c) Infill | Infill, if used, shall only be clean silica sand, rock, shell, or other natural material; rubber/synthetic infill only within playground-equipment footprints | Your lawn infill choice is now a compliance question, not just a preference |
| (2)(d) Subgrade | Subgrade must be natural materials meeting the rule's permeability requirements, and subgrade materials must be washed before installation | Washed matters: unwashed fines bind together and kill drainage |
| (4)(a) Permeability | Turf must be permeable, on permeable backing, over a pervious subgrade; a local government may set a quantifiable standard of a maximum of 10 in/hr for all layers | That 10 in/hr is a cap on what a city may demand — not a standard an installer "meets" (see below) |
| (7) Setback | 10-foot setback from any waterbody (ordinary/mean high water line), unless a physical barrier such as a seawall or bulkhead exists | Canal and lake lots get measured before they get designed |
| (6) Irrigation | In-ground irrigation cannot be used to irrigate synthetic turf areas | Sprinkler heads inside the turf are capped, not run |
Where did this rule come from?
The Florida Legislature passed HB 683 in 2025, creating §125.572, Florida Statutes. That law directed the Department of Environmental Protection to adopt minimum installation standards for synthetic turf on single-family residential properties of one acre or less — and once the rule was adopted, local governments may not ban turf that follows it, or regulate it inconsistently with it.
Rule 62-308.100 is that rule. It was filed April 29, 2026 and took effect May 19, 2026. Two limits matter. First, the scope is single-family lots of one acre or less — larger lots, condos, and commercial property are not covered the same way. Second, DEP issues no permit under this rule and certifies no installer. It is a statewide floor for materials and installation, not a stamp anyone earns.
The rule also contains no numeric installation standard of its own — no required base depth, no compaction percentage, no infiltration floor written into the state text. Numbers that circulated while the rule was being drafted were proposals that were not adopted. If an installer tells you Florida requires a specific compaction number or base depth, that number is the installer's own spec, not the state's.
What does the rule require, section by section?
Materials — (2)(a) and (2)(b). Turf, backing, and infill must not contain heavy metals or intentionally added PFAS. The turf must also be disposable at a permitted Florida landfill under normal conditions. Read (2)(a) carefully: it bans intentionally added PFAS. It does not create a "PFAS-free certified" label, and no honest page — including this one — should turn it into one.
Infill — (2)(c). If infill is used, it can only be clean silica sand, rock, shell, or other natural material. Rubber and synthetic infill are allowed only inside playground-equipment footprints, not spread across a home lawn. Plain silica sand and zeolite, a natural mineral, sit cleanly inside this language under any reading.
Subgrade — (2)(d), (4)(b), and (4)(c). The material under the turf must be natural, permeable, evenly graded for positive drainage, and washed before installation — washing removes the clay, silt, and fines that otherwise bind and choke percolation. And the soil beneath the installed subgrade must not be compacted to the point that it hurts percolation through the soil. Those are two different layers: the built base above, and the native soil below it.
Water — (5) and (7). An install must not pool water or increase stormwater runoff onto neighboring properties. Turf never goes in a swale, ditch, stormwater pond, or littoral zone, and it must not alter a permitted stormwater system. The 10-foot waterbody setback in the table above is part of the same idea: keep the system back from the water unless a seawall or bulkhead already forms a physical barrier.
Irrigation, trees, and the install itself — (6), (8), and (9). In-ground irrigation can't be used to water synthetic turf; a local government may require heads to be removed and pipe capped, though the state rule itself permits capping. Turf must not compromise nearby trees — no installation inside a tree's drip line unless a certified arborist certifies no harm. The turf is installed according to the manufacturer's specifications, edges and seams are anchored so they hold against wind and flooding, septic-tank access is preserved, and turf is never placed landward of dunes in a way that replaces dune vegetation.
What does the 10 in/hr number actually mean?
This is the most misquoted number in Florida turf right now, so here it is slowly. Rule (4)(a) says a local government may set a quantifiable permeability standard for a turf system — and caps what it may demand at a maximum of 10 inches per hour across all layers.
That makes 10 in/hr a ceiling on local governments, not a finish line for installers. An installer who advertises that his turf "meets the Florida 10 in/hr standard" has the rule backwards: there is no state 10 in/hr standard to meet. What the state requires is a permeable turf, on permeable backing, over a pervious subgrade. The number only limits how strict a city is allowed to be on top of that.
Does a coated infill count as "clean silica sand"?
AJ Turf's ruled reading — stated openly, because you should know which reading your installer is using — is posture (a): a coated quartz sand is still silica sand under (2)(c). The sand is the material; the coating is a treatment on it. On that reading, antimicrobial coated sand such as Envirofill by Motz and the precoated cooling sand TCool are spec'd freely as AJ Turf's written standard, with no restriction. Zeolite and plain silica need no interpretation at all — both are natural materials on their face.
What this page will not do is pretend the question doesn't exist. If another installer reads (2)(c) more narrowly, ask him to show you his reading in the rule text. The text is short, public, and worth reading before a five-figure yard rides on it.
Florida note
Southwest Florida is where this rule gets tested first: canal-front lots in Cape Coral and Fort Myers put the 10-foot setback into almost every design conversation, waterfront lots raise the runoff questions in (5), and our flat, high-water-table lots make the washed, pervious subgrade in (2)(d) and (4) a practical drainage issue, not just a legal one. A yard that pools after a summer storm is failing the spirit of the rule and the reality of the climate at the same time. Note, too, that the DEP rule and your HOA are separate systems: §125.572 and Rule 62-308 limit what cities and counties can do. Your HOA's architectural review is governed by a different statute — see our HOA page, linked below.
The honest downside The rule is a floor, not a quality guarantee. A fully compliant install can still be a bad install — thin base, sloppy seams, spikes through the turf — because the rule regulates materials, permeability, setbacks, and anchoring, not craftsmanship. It also adds real homework: setback measurements on waterfront lots, washed-material sourcing, and product documentation belong in the job file, and a cheap quote that has never heard of Rule 62-308 is telling you something. Finally, compliance has edges that are still being documented across the industry — anyone who claims every question under this rule is settled is overselling a rule that took effect in May 2026.
The gotcha Watch for two pitches built on this rule. The first is "DEP certified" or "installed to the Florida DEP standard" as a blanket claim — DEP certifies nobody, and no blanket claim like that should be made while the documentation behind it is still being assembled. The second is the backwards 10 in/hr claim above. The honest version of the sentence is narrower: an install can be built around Florida's statewide synthetic turf standard (Rule 62-308.100). If a quote leans on the rule, ask which section of it the quote is answering — (2)(c), (2)(d), (4), (7) — and listen for whether the answer names one.
How AJ Turf handles this
AJ Turf builds around Florida's statewide synthetic turf standard (Rule 62-308.100) — including the 10-foot waterbody setback, no in-ground irrigation on turf areas, and a drainage-first base system. In practice: we dig about 2–3 inches below the sod line and build a screening-sand base (about 1 ton per 100 sq ft finished, a minimum 2-inch compacted layer), compacted to 95% Standard Proctor (ASTM D698) per Synthetic Turf Council guidance — that compaction figure is AJ Turf's own adopted spec for the sand base above the native soil, not a Florida requirement. A woven weed barrier goes on top of the compacted base, under the turf. The perimeter is glued to a 3×3×3-inch concrete border — edges anchored continuously against wind and flooding, with no nails or spikes ever through the turf. Sprinkler heads are capped and left in place, never ripped out. Coated quartz-sand infills are spec'd freely under the (2)(c) reading above. Most installs run $9 to $15 a square foot depending on the turf and the site; your exact price comes from a free onsite measurement, deposits are staged 30/35/35 and always non-refundable, and installs are typically scheduled within two weeks. We also prepare and submit your HOA application on your behalf — a separate process from the DEP rule, handled in the same visit.
Questions people ask.
Does Florida require a permit to install artificial turf under Rule 62-308?
No state permit exists under the rule — DEP issues none. The rule is a standards floor that limits what local governments can ban or demand. A city may still run its own administrative review for adjacent work, so the honest answer on any given lot is checked at the onsite estimate, not assumed.
Does the rule mean my city can't stop my turf install?
For a single-family lot of one acre or less, a local government may not ban turf that follows the rule or regulate it inconsistently with the rule. That preemption does not cover larger lots, condos, or commercial property the same way — and it says nothing about your HOA, which is a separate statute.
Is 10 inches per hour a drainage standard my installer has to meet?
No. In (4)(a), 10 in/hr is the maximum standard a local government is allowed to set for all layers of a turf system — a cap on the city, not a state floor for the installer. The state's own requirement is a permeable turf on permeable backing over a pervious subgrade.
Does Rule 62-308 ban coated or cooling infills?
The rule limits infill to clean silica sand, rock, shell, or other natural material. AJ Turf's stated reading is that a coated quartz sand remains silica sand under (2)(c), so Envirofill by Motz and TCool are spec'd freely. Plain silica and zeolite are natural materials under any reading. Rubber and synthetic infill are restricted to playground-equipment footprints.
Updated 2026-10-13