Reminder: Brush, Grass and Weeds Ordinance (Chapter 171)

The Borough has received complaints about overgrown properties, so we’d like to remind residents and property owners of the requirements under Chapter 171 of the Borough Code (Ord. No. 2015-04).

The limit is nine inches. Allowing weeds to reach a height of nine inches or more is a summary offense. “Weeds” is defined broadly — any grass, weed, or herbaceous vegetation, including noxious weeds. Edible, useful, or ornamental plants are excluded only if they’ve been planted, cultivated, and maintained in an orderly manner. An untended garden bed doesn’t qualify.

Both owners and occupants are responsible. If you rent, the ordinance applies to you as the occupant as well as to your landlord.

How enforcement works. At least seven days before prosecuting a violation, the Borough mails notice to the owner and occupant by first-class mail. Please note: only one notice per calendar year is required. If you received a notice in the spring and the property is out of compliance again in the fall, no second notice is required before the Borough pursues remedies.

After the seven-day period, the Borough may enter the property and have the weeds cut at the owner’s and/or occupant’s expense, and that cost is recoverable as a cost of prosecution.

Penalties. A conviction is a summary offense punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, plus court costs and the Borough’s reasonable attorneys’ fees. Each day a violation continues is a separate offense.

Exceptions. Chapter 171 does not apply to fields and pastures of one acre or more in active agricultural use, or to woodlands and wetlands of one acre or more. However, any area of those properties abutting a street or sidewalk must still be maintained for a five-foot buffer strip.

The great majority of our residents keep their properties in good shape, and we appreciate it.

Questions, or need to report an overgrown property?
Borough Office, 345 Chestnut Street
Phone: 717-266-3211 (please leave a message and we’ll return your call)
Email: office@mtwolfpa.gov
Mail: PO Box 458, Mt. Wolf, PA 17347-0458

The full text of Chapter 171 is available on the Borough’s eCode360 page under Ordinances.