Frederick County, VA Code Violation Reporting: Common Violations (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing agencies
- Sheriff and Health Officer; Zoning Administrator for weeds
- Maximum fine
- $2,500
- Maximum jail term
- 12 months
- Abatement window
- 24 hours after notice deadline
- Continuing violation
- separate offense each day
- Governing chapter
- Chapter 122, Nuisances
Summary
In Frederick County outside Winchester, Stephens City and Middletown, Chapter 122 Nuisances covers the violations residents most often report: noxious or offensive matter accumulations, stagnant water, overgrown weeds and general public nuisances. The Sheriff and Health Officer enforce most sections, while the Zoning Administrator handles weed complaints under Section 122-5.
§ 122-7. Causing public nuisances unlawful. It shall be unlawful for any person to cause or maintain a public nuisance not otherwise provided for in this Code or the other ordinances of the County. § 122- ... ... 9. Enforcement. ... Both the Sheriff and the Health Officer shall, in addition to their other duties, be specifically charged with the enforcement of the provisions of this chapter, with the exception of § 122-5, which shall be the responsibility of the Zoning Administrator. § 122-10. Violations and penalties. A ... ny person found guilty of the violation of any of the sections of this chapter shall, upon conviction, be punishable by a maximum fine of $2,500 or by imprisonment for not more than 12 months, or by both such fine and imprisonment; and failure to abide by the order of the County Court to remove or abate a nuisance or health hazard shall be deemed a separate offense for each day thereafter that the nuisance or health hazard is permitted to exist.
Full Breakdown
Frederick County's nuisance code makes it unlawful for anyone to cause or maintain a public nuisance not otherwise addressed elsewhere in the County Code (Section 122-7), a catch-all that backs up the chapter's specific bans on accumulating noxious or offensive matter, letting water go stagnant, and allowing weeds to overgrow near a dwelling. Enforcement is split: the Sheriff and the Health Officer are charged with enforcing the chapter generally, but Section 122-5, the grass and weed height standard, is the Zoning Administrator's responsibility alone (Section 122-9).
Before anyone is charged, the responsible official must send written notice describing the violation and the required abatement; under Section 122-8 a person who fails to abate a nuisance or health hazard within 24 hours after that notice period is guilty of a misdemeanor. A violator who ignores a County Court abatement order faces a separate criminal offense for every day the nuisance continues, so a stagnant-water or trash pile complaint that drags on can generate multiple charges rather than one. 1.
Violations & Fines
Conviction under Chapter 122 carries a maximum fine of $2,500, up to 12 months in jail, or both (Section 122-10). Failing to abide by a County Court order to remove or abate a nuisance or health hazard is a separate offense for each day the condition is permitted to continue, so unresolved complaints compound quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Frederick County
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