Environmental and Compliance Department

The Environmental and Compliance Department has a variety of responsibilities ensuring compliance with City of Jacksonville codes, rules and regulations, as well as certain state and federal regulations. Its broad focus includes the environment, parking facilities and enforcement, animal care and protection, and mosquito control. The department also enforces codes and laws affecting the quality of life in Jacksonville, including laws that concern zoning, safety and cleanliness of private property, housing safety, nuisance abatement and similar matters.

The Director's Office issues permits for charitable solicitation on the right-of-way (permit application) and permits to feed the homeless for bona fide religious reasons (permit application).

The Department has five divisions and two activities:

The Animal Care and Protective Services Division ensures that animals in the City of Jacksonville are properly treated and managed. The division implements and enforces laws, regulations, codes and procedures concerning the treatment of domesticated animals within the city. For many residents, its most important function is to serve as a source for healthy, adoptable pets.

The Environmental Quality Division administers and monitors the City of Jacksonville's air and water resource management activities, with particular emphasis on pollution control. It also enforces laws related to air, odors, noise, surface water, groundwater, underground storage tanks and hazardous waste.

The Mosquito Control Division is responsible for all activities in the City of Jacksonville relating to the control of mosquitoes. The division performs spraying as needed and educates the public about its role in reducing the mosquito population throughout the city.

The Municipal Code Compliance Division enforces codes and laws affecting the quality of life in Jacksonville. These include laws that concern zoning, safety and cleanliness of private property, housing safety, nuisance abatement, weed control and similar matters. The division enforces the Property Safety and Maintenance Code, Chapter 518 of the Jacksonville Municipal Code. Chapter 518 covers Housing Safety, Property Maintenance, Nuisance and Overgrown Lots, Unsafe Structures and Junk and Abandoned Vehicles.

The Parking Facilities and Enforcement Division operates public parking lots and garages and enforces the city's parking laws. It also enforces registration, licensing, inspection and safety regulations for commercial vehicles such as taxicabs, limousines, vessels for hire, vehicles for hire, wreckers and school buses operating within the city.

The Clean It Up, Green It Up Activity promotes environmental awareness, anti-litter campaigns and community-wide litter removal programs.

The Project New Ground Activity is a long-term effort to make Jacksonville a cleaner, greener city. Its goal is to correct a situation that began nearly 100 years ago, when the City of Jacksonville burned its solid waste in incinerators. Ash from those incinerators was deposited at four sites north and west of the downtown area. Project New Ground is the city's program to remove the ash from those sites.

The Office of Sustainability Initiatives within the Environmental and Compliance Department undertakes initiatives related to the management of energy, recyclables and waste materials and protecting natural resources and does so in a way that has a positive economic impact for the city. The Director of the Environmental and Compliance Department currently serves as the 'Sustainability Officer' for the city.

Electronic Game Promotions
City Council recently approved 2010-326 for the Permitting and Inspection of Adult Arcade Amusement Centers (Chapter 155) and Electronic Game Promotions (Chapter 156).  For a copy of the bill, please click here: 2010-326
Permit Application Package for Electronic Game Promotions (.doc  298KB)
Permit Application Renewal Package for Electronic Game Promotions (.doc 252KB)
Transfer of Premises Application (.doc 160KB)
Transfer of Entity Application (.doc 210KB)
Chapter 155 Adult Arcade Amusement Center (.doc 40KB)
Chapter 156 Electronic Game Promotions (.doc 68KB)

Contacting the City
You may request a service or notify us of a service problem online now. Just follow the steps to complete your request. Otherwise, you may call (904) 630-CITY (2489).

Scott E. Trebatoski
Acting Director
(904) 255-7360