Title
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 1480, "INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY MAINTENANCE CODE" OF THE CODIFIED ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF HUDSON REGARDING ABATEMENT OF WEEDS OR TALL GRASSES.
Brief Description: Proposed amendment to the high grass ordinance to regulate developed parcels, land within subdivisions, and land within a Public Right of Way.
Body
Legislative History
None
Purpose & Explanation
The current high grass regulations establish a maximum eight inch height for grass. When areas exceed such grass height, Code Enforcement staff issue notice to the property owner requesting mowing. On limited occasion, a property is not mowed by the property owner when requested, typically for a vacant residential property (unoccupied house). The city has the authority to proceed to mow the grass and then bill the property owner or assess their property taxes. The city staff contacts numerous property owners per year regarding grass height; however, most property owners comply when requested with city initiated mowing limited to a few parcels per year.
The current ordinance limits city authority to the following:
any lot or parcel of land situated in a platted and improved subdivision within the City, whether the same be vacant or occupied
The existing regulation has been challenging to administer as numerous properties in town are outside of a platted and improved subdivisions. Staff researched applicable regulations for several peer cities. Commonly a high grass ordinance would be relevant to all lands within the city.
Staff has not seen a need to implement such a blanket amendment and has focused on the following. Based on discussions at the September 27, 2022 workshop meeting the amendment has been updated to the following:
any lot or parcel of land situated in a platted and improved subdivision within the City, of the following whether the same be vacant or occupied:
a. developed or improved parcel
b. parcel situated in a platted and improved subdivisi...
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