9 rules for unincorporated Morris County, New Jersey.
Verified from official government sources
Morris County sets no grass-height limit. New Jersey land use and property maintenance are municipal home rule, so your township or borough (e.g. Morristown, Parsippany-Troy Hills, Randolph) sets and enforces any maximum lawn or weed height.
Morris County does not regulate trimming of trees on private property; that is set by your municipality. The county's role is limited to trees along county roads and to the Morris County Park Commission's own parkland.
Morris County itself sets no tree-removal rule, but every New Jersey municipality — including all Morris County towns — was required to adopt a tree removal and replacement ordinance under NJDEP's MS4 stormwater permit. Removing a tree may require a town permit and replacement planting.
There is no Morris County weed ordinance. New Jersey municipalities regulate weeds, brush, and noxious growth through their property-maintenance codes. In Morristown, code enforcement can order brush, weeds, ragweed, and poison ivy removed on notice.
Morris County sets no watering ordinance. Lawn-watering limits in New Jersey are declared statewide by the NJDEP under its drought tiers (Watch, Warning, Emergency). Mandatory restrictions and fines apply only in a Governor-declared Drought Emergency.
New Jersey has no state or Morris County law restricting residential rainwater harvesting. Rain barrels and cisterns for non-potable outdoor use are legal, and the state actively promotes them as a stormwater best-management practice.
Morris County does not require native plants, but New Jersey encourages them. NJDEP model tree and stormwater ordinances favor native, non-invasive species for replacement trees and green infrastructure, and towns may adopt native-plant lists.
Morris County sets no artificial-turf ordinance. Whether synthetic turf is allowed, and any lot-coverage or drainage limits, is decided by your municipality. New state and local rules increasingly treat turf as impervious for stormwater purposes.
Backyard composting is allowed and encouraged. The Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority (MCMUA) runs two vegetative-waste compost facilities and gives residents free compost and mulch, up to 2 cubic yards per year per address.
MCMUA Vegetative Waste Recycling
FREE MATERIAL IS MADE AVAILABLE TO MORRIS COUNTY RESIDENTS WITH A LIMIT OF 2 CUBIC YARDS, PER YEAR, PER ADDRESS.
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