Garfield's Property Maintenance: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles property maintenance a little differently. In Garfield, New Jersey, there are 5 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Property Blight

Garfield prohibits weeds or plant growth taller than eight inches and bans noxious weeds, with city contractors authorized to cut overgrowth and bill the owner if a notice of violation is ignored.

Key details: Maximum height: 8 inches. Noxious weeds: Prohibited entirely. Fine range: $100 to $2,000. Continuing violation: Each day separate.

Allowing grass or weeds to grow taller than eight inches, harboring noxious weed species, ignoring a property maintenance notice of violation, or accumulating debris and overgrowth that constitutes blight.

Garage Sale Rules

Garfield requires a $10 permit for every garage sale, limits residents to four sales per calendar year, requires the permit to be displayed on the premises, and has the police department issue permits on the day of the sale.

Key details: Permit fee: $10. Annual limit: 4 sales per year. Permit pickup: Police Department. Display: Prominently on premises.

Holding a garage sale without a permit, exceeding four permitted sales in one calendar year, failing to display the permit on the premises during the sale, or omitting required information from the application.

Garfield is more permissive than most cities when it comes to garage sale rules. That said, there are still limits.

Snow & Sidewalk Clearing

Garfield requires owners and tenants of property abutting public sidewalks to remove snow and ice within 24 hours after a storm ends, with a first-offense fine of $150 and a ban on shoveling snow back into cleared streets.

Key details: Clearance deadline: 24 hours after storm. First-offense fine: $150. Court appearance: Not required. Snow placement: Not in cleared streets.

Failing to clear snow or ice from sidewalks and gutters within 24 hours of the end of a storm, or shoveling or pushing snow back onto a street that the city has already plowed or cleared.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Garfield gives residents more flexibility on snow & sidewalk clearing.

Vacant Lot Maintenance

Garfield requires owners of vacant buildings to register the property, secure the structure within 30 days, and keep the surrounding grounds free of debris, overgrowth, and unauthorized entry points.

Key details: Initial registration: $250. Secure-by deadline: Within 30 days. Grounds upkeep: No debris or overgrowth. Fine range: $100 to $2,000.

Failing to register a vacant building, leaving doors or windows unsecured, allowing trash or weeds to accumulate on a vacant lot, or ignoring city orders to clean and secure the property.

Trash Bin Storage

Garfield requires garbage and recyclables to be kept in covered upright containers, screened from public view between collections, and placed at the curb no earlier than 4:00 p.m. the day before scheduled pickup.

Key details: Container: Covered, upright, sturdy. Set-out time: After 4 p.m. day before. Weight limit: 50 pounds maximum. Storage: Out of public view.

Uncovered or tipped-over containers, bins stored in the front yard between pickups, putting trash out before 4:00 p.m. the day before collection, overweight bins, or using cardboard boxes and paper bags for garbage.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Garfield gives residents more flexibility on trash bin storage.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Garfield gives residents more room on property maintenance. 3 of the 5 rules here are rated permissive. But permissive does not mean unregulated. There are still requirements, and the city does enforce them when violations are reported.

Keep in mind that Garfield can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.