9 rules for unincorporated Chesterfield County, Virginia.
Verified from official government sources
On occupied residential lots under one-half acre, grass and lawn areas may not exceed 12 inches in height. Chesterfield enforces this under Virginia's county grass-cutting authority and the County Code weed provisions.
Va. Code Sec. 15.2-1215(A)
Any county may by ordinance require that the owner of occupied residential real property therein cut the grass or lawn area of less than one-half acre on such property or any part thereof at such time or times as the governing body shall prescribe when growth on such grass or lawn area exceeds 12 inches in height
Chesterfield County has no ordinance dictating how residents trim their own healthy trees. Trimming a neighbor's branches that overhang your property is governed by Virginia common-law self-help, not a county permit.
A Chesterfield homeowner may generally remove trees on their own developed lot without a county permit. The key exception is the Chesapeake Bay Resource Protection Area buffer, where removing vegetation requires county review and often replacement planting.
Chesterfield County - Chesapeake Bay Preservation Areas (RPA)
Resource protection areas, a specific type of riparian buffer, are 100-foot natural corridors of environmentally-sensitive lands that lie alongside the banks and shorelines of streams, rivers, lakes and reservoirs.
Chesterfield County Code prohibits uncontrolled weeds and grass. Occupied residential lots under one-half acre are limited to 12 inches; vacant developed and platted-subdivision parcels generally may not exceed roughly 18 inches of weeds or uncontrolled growth.
Virginia has no statewide mandatory lawn-watering ban. Chesterfield County Utilities issues conservation measures during drought; as of summer 2026 restrictions were voluntary, with an alternating-day watering schedule requested for the Richmond region.
Rainwater harvesting is legal and encouraged in Chesterfield County. There is no ordinance banning rain barrels or cisterns for residential lawn and garden use; the county promotes them as a water-wise conservation practice.
Chesterfield County does not require homeowners to plant native species in ordinary yards, but native and regionally appropriate plants are required for restoration and replacement planting within Chesapeake Bay Resource Protection Area buffers.
Chesterfield County has no ordinance banning residential artificial turf. Synthetic lawns are generally allowed, subject to zoning, stormwater and drainage requirements, and any private HOA or subdivision covenants.
Backyard composting of yard and food waste is allowed in Chesterfield County and promoted as a waste-reduction practice. Compost must be kept so it does not create odor, vermin, or nuisance conditions under the county's property-maintenance rules.
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