Nuisance Abatement

Miami-Dade County enacted the Nuisance Abatement Ordinance (NAO), No. 92-42, requiring property and business owners to eliminate public nuisances. The NAO provides the community a tool to encourage owners to take responsibility for preventing recurring nuisance activities on their property in unincorporated Miami-Dade County.

The NAO addresses recurring criminal/nuisance activity involving:

The unlawful sale, delivery or possession of controlled substances/narcotics.
Youth and street gang criminal activity.
Prostitution or solicitation of prostitution.
Lewd and lascivious activity.
Illegal gambling.
The illegal sale, possession, or consumption of alcoholic beverages.
Other criminal activities that are a danger to the public health, safety and welfare.

The following private nuisances are NOT addressed by the Nuisance Abatement Ordinance:

Noise
Barking dogs
Loud music
Neighbor disputes
Code enforcement
Other non-criminal activity

While these and other activities may be a community problem, they are not addressed by the NAO, but may be addressed through other Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office (MDSO) or Miami-Dade County entities. Call 311 to find out the best course of action.

The NAO allows anyone to file an anonymous complaint. To make a formal complaint, please complete the Citizen's Complaint Affidavit (Declaracion Jurada de Denuncia por Molestias) and mail it to the Nuisance Abatement Unit.

Nuisance Abatement Unit
9105 NW 25 Street, Suite 3042
Doral, FL 33172

All complaints must include the exact address of the alleged nuisance property and details about the complaint.

MDSO officers investigate the complaints and criminal activity and provide reports to the Nuisance Abatement Unit (NAU). If there are three or more substantiated and documented complaints within a 12-month period, and a pattern of recurring activity, the NAU will send official notification to the property owner requiring the owner to respond in writing with a plan of action within 14 days and to take immediate action to eliminate the nuisance activity.

You can help make your community safer and crime free. Please call the non-emergency number to file a complaint and report any criminal or suspicious activity. Call 911 if it is an emergency.
If the owner fails to respond and take sufficient steps to abate the nuisance, and/or there are additional incidents, the case will be presented to the Miami-Dade County NAB that is appointed by the County Commissioners. The NAB will review the evidence and hear testimony from police officers, citizens, and the owners to determine if there is evidence to declare the premises a public nuisance and/or if the owners have taken sufficient steps to abate the nuisance.

If the Board finds the premises to be a public nuisance, the NAB may order immediate actions to be taken by the owners to abate the nuisance. Orders to owners may include:
- Take immediate action to abate the nuisance, i.e., security, lights, fencing, cameras.
- Stop any activity that is conducive to the nuisance, i.e., failing to check identification for possible underage sale of alcohol.
- Order that the property and/or business be closed and secured.
- Order that the property/business owners pay substantial MDSO and County costs.
- Order that the owners report to the NAB their progress in abating the nuisance for one year.