High grass and weeds draw citizen ire, City action

The number one complaint from people across the City is about high grass and weeds in a neighbor’s yard.  What is a high grass and weeds violation?  According to state statute, grass is in violation when it reaches a height of 12 inches. 

If you know of a City resident who is in violation of the high grass and weeds statute, you can call the Action Center at 297-2535.  Be sure to let them know if the violation is in the front yard, back yard or both. 

After the complaint is made to the Action Center, they send it to Neighborhood Services.  The complaint is then assigned to an inspector who visits the property usually within 12 to 24 hours. It is important to keep in mind that inspectors must be able to see the violation in order to report it.  They cannot look over a fence into a back yard to see high grass and weeds.  

If you or another neighbor is willing to allow the inspector to view the violation from an adjacent back yard, please let them know.  If the resident is found in violation, the inspector will leave a notice on the door or post a flag on the property.  The inspector will also take photos of the notice and find out who owns the property.  A notice is then mailed to the owner, usually within the first 36 hours.  The owner has 10 working days to mow the yard.  

The City is flexible if the owner calls and explains issues they are having with mowing the yard.  If no contact is made and the problem is not corrected after 10 working days, the inspector will double check to make sure the property is still owned by the same person.  If it is, the City will hire a contractor to mow the yard.  Fees are $200 for administration to cover all the trips made to the property and the bill from the mowing contractor.