(Washington, DC) The DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) will begin enforcing “seasonal grass cutting rules” on May 1 and is encouraging all property owners to keep their lawn trimmed.
The growing season runs from May 1 through October 31 every year. DCRA inspectors will be on the lookout for overgrown grass and weeds.
Grass and weeds that are more than 10 inches tall could lead to fines and other costs. During growing season, all property owners are required to maintain their premises in a healthy and sanitary manner free of trash and excessive vegetative growth.
During the 2007 growing season, DCRA issued more than 1,400 violations, cut the grass at 446 properties, and placed liens on the homes of hundreds of District residents who failed to keep their lawns mowed and their property free of weeds.
Grass pollen is a common trigger for asthma and allergies. Keeping grass cut is part of an overall preventative strategy to control respiratory illness. Excessive growth can harbor rats and other vermin leading to serious public health implications.
DCRA regulates all types of excessive vegetative growth including: kudzu, poison ivy, plants with obnoxious odors, weeds, grasses causing hay fever, and any weed growth that creates a breeding place for mosquitoes. Regulations require that these weeds are not in place more than seven days.
Weeds may be defined as, but are not limited to, poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac and all vegetation at any state of maturity that:
- Exceeds more than 10 inches tall, is untended, or creates a dense area of shrubbery that is a detriment to the health, safety and welfare of the public;
- Creates a harbor (including hiding places for persons), or a provides a place to conceal refuse or trash, regardless of height;
- Develops into deposits, or accumulation of, refuse or trash;
- Harbors rodents and vermin or provides a refuge for snakes, rats or other rodents;
- Creates an unpleasant or noxious odor;
- Constitutes a fire hazard; or
- Contains grass or weeds that are dead and diseased.
Failure to comply with a Notice of Violation during the growing season may result in DCRA cleaning the property and billing the owner for cost of the cleanup. Report suspected violations to DCRA at (202) 442-4400.
Seasonal grass cutting rules are from Section 800.10 of the DCMR14.