--- title: "Artificial Turf in Hilliard, FL | TIMELESS Grass & Greens" description: "Inside Hilliard's town limits, digging or filling a lot needs a permit first. Plan a lawn, dog area or putting green around that rule and the watering order." url: https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/hilliard-fl/ --- Hilliard, FL # Artificial turf in Hilliard, FL, planned around the town's rule on digging. Hilliard wants a permit before a lot is dug or filled, so start with the plan: a free visit, a custom layout and a written estimate that describes the job. - Ask the town the right question before the dig - A measured layout and estimate that describe the work - A lawn that needs no slot in the one-day watering order [Request a free estimate](https://www.timelessgrass.com/estimate/) [Call 303-349-2368](tel:3033492368) - Layout approved before installation - American-made turf - Free estimates, no pressure The short answer ## Do I need town approval to put artificial turf in my Hilliard yard? Possibly. Hilliard's code bars excavation or filling on a lot without an active permit, but doesn't say whether a lawn-sized turf base counts. Ask the Land Use Administrator, get the answer in writing, then set a date. Planning a turf installation? Get a layout, turf options and a written quote for your space. [Request a free estimate](https://www.timelessgrass.com/estimate/) [Call 303-349-2368](tel:3033492368) We’ll call to arrange a free site visit. Before you install in Hilliard ## What to know in Hilliard. The rules in short. We measure and check the ground at a free visit, then draw a layout that fits. [Request a free estimate](https://www.timelessgrass.com/estimate/) [Call 303-349-2368](tel:3033492368) - ### The town's dig rule Hilliard bars digging or filling a lot without an active permit, and the code doesn't say whether a turf base counts. Get the Land Use Administrator's answer in writing before a date is set. See the rule on the town's dig rule In Hilliard, digging or filling a lot needs a permit first. A turf base starts with digging out the existing ground and building it back up with base material. Inside town limits, Hilliard's code puts that kind of work behind a permit. No excavation or filling can occur on a lot unless an active permit has been issued for the property, and no runoff or fill can impede on adjoining properties ([Hilliard Code Sec. 62-353](https://library.municode.com/fl/hilliard/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIIILADERE_CH62ZOLADERE_ARTVISURE_DIV1GE_S62-353EXFI)). The same section says permission for excavation for site clearing must be granted by the Planning and Zoning Board, with any necessary state permits secured. Its one listed exception is four loads of fill per year on homesteaded properties. The code doesn't say whether a lawn-sized base counts, so ask before a date goes on the calendar. The town's Land Use Administrator reviews building permit applications against the zoning rules and gives procedural advice on them by appointment, on 904-675-6172 ([Town of Hilliard](https://www.townofhilliard.com/bc-pzb)). Ask two things: does your turf base count as excavation or fill under Sec. 62-353, and does it need the site clearing and site work application? Get the answer in writing. We set the dig date after it. - ### If the answer is yes If it counts, expect a $200 site clearing application with a site plan, proof of ownership, a water district permit or letter, and a notary. Don't start work before approval. See the rule on if the answer is yes Expect a $200 form, a district letter and a notary. Hilliard's Site Clearing/Site Work application, updated in January 2026, asks for a site plan with a vicinity map and a statement of the proposed work, a legal description with the tax parcel number, a deed or other proof of ownership, and a permit or letter of exception from the St. Johns River Water Management District ([site clearing application](https://www.townofhilliard.com/sites/default/files/fileattachments/town_hall/page/2251/application_-_site_clearing_or_site_work_01.2026.pdf)). You sign it in front of a notary. The fee is $200, listed in the town's fee schedule as site clearing or site work, horizontal only ([Resolution No. 2026-09](https://www.townofhilliard.com/sites/default/files/fileattachments/town_hall/page/2251/resolution_2026-09_-_zoning_001.pdf)). Nothing is accepted until the fee is paid. The town runs a completeness review within ten business days and asks for anything missing, and the form warns that work before approval results in a code enforcement violation. Our free visit ends with a custom layout and a written estimate you can use to describe the job. The forms are on the town's [Planning & Zoning page](https://www.townofhilliard.com/town-hall/page/planning-zoning), and Town Hall is at 15859 West County Road 108. If your question goes to the Planning and Zoning Board, it meets on the fourth Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall chambers. Leave room for that meeting in your timeline. - ### Trees and roots Root damage counts as tree removal in Hilliard's code, though house lots may be exempt. Until you know, we keep the turf edge out of the root zone of trees you're keeping. See the rule on trees and roots Roots count as the tree, so keep the base out of them or ask. Hilliard's tree article treats root damage as removal. Removing a tree includes damage inflicted upon the root system by heavy machinery and changing the natural grade above the root system or around the trunk, and cutting down or effectively destroying any tree without a permit is unlawful ([Hilliard Code, Article XII](https://library.municode.com/fl/hilliard/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIIILADERE_CH62ZOLADERE_ARTXIITR)). Cutting a turf base under a live oak's canopy can fall inside that wording. The next section lists one- and two-family dwelling units among its exemptions, and it exempts all pines by name. Whether that exemption covers a hardwood on your house lot is one for the Land Use Administrator. Until you have the answer, we keep the turf edge clear of the root zone of any tree you want to keep. Homes built under a PUD rezoning carry one more line. The code asks for at least one canopy tree in the required front yard of each home, and for the lot to be sodded, seeded or given appropriate ground cover for erosion control ([Sec. 62-565](https://library.municode.com/fl/hilliard/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIIILADERE_CH62ZOLADERE_ARTXILA_S62-565RELA)). Leave that tree standing, and ask whether turf counts as ground cover before replacing a front lawn there. - ### Town water The water district's order limits lawns to one watering day a week, private wells included, on top of the town's daytime ban. A turf lawn needs no watering to grow, so it's off that schedule. See the rule on town water A town watering rule, and a stricter district order on top. Inside the limits, most homes and businesses are on the Town of Hilliard's own water system, fed by four wells in the Floridan aquifer, and the town runs the sewer system too ([Hilliard Comprehensive Plan 2040](https://www.townofhilliard.com/system/temporary/filefield_paths/comprehensive_plan_-_adopted_clean-.pdf)). The plan puts that aquifer 400 to 500 feet below the ground here and calls its recharge in the Hilliard area very low. The town's January 2026 conservation notice says confined aquifer levels have dropped dramatically, and that lawn watering is not allowed between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. ([Water Conservation Update](https://www.townofhilliard.com/sites/default/files/fileattachments/public_works/page/1401/update_-_water_conservation.pdf)). The St. Johns River Water Management District's Phase III order, issued on 11 May 2026 for all of Nassau County, goes further. Residential landscape irrigation is limited to one day a week, Saturday for odd-numbered addresses and Sunday for even, and is prohibited between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. (Phase III order). On 3 September 2026 the district said the declaration remains in effect (SJRWMD update). Where the two windows differ, follow the district's. A turf lawn needs no irrigation to grow, so it comes off that schedule. A private irrigation well is no way around it. Hilliard's code bars new wells for anything other than irrigation where town water service is available, and no well may be dug without a state permit and inspection ([Sec. 58-47](https://library.municode.com/fl/hilliard/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICOOR_CH58UT_ARTIICO_S58-47COPRWE)). The district's restrictions apply to private wells and pumps as well as utility water (watering restrictions). - ### The ground Soil changes across town, and groundwater sits close to the surface, so we check yours on the free visit. A lot in a flood hazard area needs a floodplain permit first. See the rule on the ground Soils that change across town, and groundwater close to the top. The soil map in Hilliard's comprehensive plan names a spread of series inside the limits, Leon, Kingsferry, Blanton and Albany among them, and the plan notes that the surficial aquifer lies just below the land surface. So don't assume your yard drains like the one down the road. We check yours on the free visit and build the base for the soil we find. If any part of the lot sits in a flood hazard area, the code asks anyone planning development activity there to apply to the floodplain administrator first and get the required permits ([Sec. 62-473](https://library.municode.com/fl/hilliard/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIIILADERE_CH62ZOLADERE_ARTVIIIFLDAPR_DIV4PE_S62-473PERE)). Ask Town Hall on 904-845-3555 whether your lot is mapped before the layout is final. [Request a free estimate](https://www.timelessgrass.com/estimate/) [Call 303-349-2368](tel:3033492368) What we install in Hilliard ## Choose your turf project. Choose a lawn, a dog area or a practice green, and settle the town's dig question before the date. - [### Artificial lawns Spend less time mowing, with an artificial lawn planned around your yard and its use. See artificial lawns](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/residential-turf/) - [### Pet turf A dog run or pet lawn planned around drainage, secure edges and regular cleaning. See pet turf](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/pet-turf/) - [### Putting greens Practice your putting right outside your back door. See putting greens](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/putting-greens/) FAQ ## Turf questions in Hilliard. ### Who installs artificial turf in Hilliard, FL? We install artificial turf, pet turf and backyard putting greens in Hilliard, FL. Inside town limits, ask the Land Use Administrator whether your turf base needs a permit before a dig date is set, and bring the layout and estimate from our free visit. Call 303-349-2368 to book it. ### Can I bring in fill to level the yard first? Maybe a little. The one exception Sec. 62-353 lists is four loads of fill per year on homesteaded properties, and the same section says no runoff or fill can impede on adjoining properties ([Hilliard Code](https://library.municode.com/fl/hilliard/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIIILADERE_CH62ZOLADERE_ARTVISURE_DIV1GE_S62-353EXFI)). Ask the Land Use Administrator whether your loads fall inside it. If the next yard sits lower, where your water goes matters as much as the permit, and we map that route on the free visit. ### Is Florida's turf law the only rule to check in Hilliard? No. Florida's standard protects compliant turf on single-family lots of an acre or less from a local ban, and our [Florida turf infill guide](https://www.timelessgrass.com/guides/florida-turf-infill-rules/) explains what it asks of the materials. Hilliard's Sec. 62-353 is about digging and fill on a lot, so ask the Land Use Administrator how it applies to your base. ### Can I irrigate with reclaimed water in Hilliard? No. The town's comprehensive plan says it does not have any reuse service areas in the town limits ([Hilliard Comprehensive Plan 2040](https://www.townofhilliard.com/system/temporary/filefield_paths/comprehensive_plan_-_adopted_clean-.pdf)). Watering here comes from town water or a well, and the district's Phase III order covers all sources of water in Nassau County. Nearby areas we cover - [Nassau Village-Ratliff, FL](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/nassau-village-ratliff-fl/) - [Baldwin, FL](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/baldwin-fl/) - [Nassauville, FL](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/nassauville-fl/) - [Fernandina Beach, FL](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/fernandina-beach-fl/) - [Callahan, FL](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/callahan-fl/) - [Everywhere we work in Northeast Florida](https://www.timelessgrass.com/northeast-florida/) Useful links - [Town of Hilliard: Site Clearing/Site Work application (updated 1/2026)](https://www.townofhilliard.com/sites/default/files/fileattachments/town_hall/page/2251/application_-_site_clearing_or_site_work_01.2026.pdf) - [Hilliard Code of Ordinances Sec. 62-353: excavation and/or filling](https://library.municode.com/fl/hilliard/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIIILADERE_CH62ZOLADERE_ARTVISURE_DIV1GE_S62-353EXFI) - [Town of Hilliard Public Works: Water Conservation Update (updated 1/2026)](https://www.townofhilliard.com/sites/default/files/fileattachments/public_works/page/1401/update_-_water_conservation.pdf) Free estimate ## Your free estimate in Hilliard. Tell us about your project and we’ll call to arrange a free visit. [Or call 303-349-2368](tel:3033492368) Your free estimate includes - A visit to measure your space - A custom layout, drawn for your space - Turf options, side by side - A written price, with no pressure to sign [Request a free estimate](https://www.timelessgrass.com/estimate/) Five short steps. We’ll call to arrange your visit.