9 rules for unincorporated Prince George's County, Maryland.
Verified from official government sources
Prince George's County caps grass and weeds at twelve inches. County Code Subtitle 13 adopts the International Property Maintenance Code, and Section 302.4 (as amended by Section 13-118) makes any premises with weeds or plant growth over 12 inches a violation enforced by DPIE code enforcement.
PG County Code § 13-118 (IPMC § 302.4, as amended)
All premises and exterior property shall be maintained free from weeds or plant growth in excess of twelve (12) inches. Weeds shall be defined as all grasses, annual plants, and vegetation, other than trees or shrubs; provided, however, that this term shall not include cultivated flowers and gardens.
Trimming trees on your own private property in Prince George's County generally needs no county permit. But any tree in a public road right-of-way is protected: Maryland's Roadside Tree Law (Natural Resources Article 5-406) makes it illegal to trim a roadside tree without a permit from the DNR Forest Service.
MD Natural Resources Article § 5-406(b)
A person may not cut down, trim, mutilate, or in any manner injure any roadside tree, except as authorized by this section, without a permit from the Department.
Removing a single tree on your own lot usually needs no permit, but clearing over 5,000 square feet requires a grading permit, and woodland clearing on a site of 40,000+ square feet with 10,000+ square feet of woodland triggers Subtitle 25's Woodland and Wildlife Habitat Conservation Ordinance.
Prince George's County treats overgrown weeds as a property-maintenance violation. Subtitle 13 (Section 13-118, adopting IPMC 302.4) bans weeds and plant growth over 12 inches, and the county's Clean Lot program abates high grass, weeds, trash and debris on vacant lots in the unincorporated county.
PG County Code § 13-118 (IPMC § 302.4, as amended)
All premises and exterior property shall be maintained free from weeds or plant growth in excess of twelve (12) inches. Weeds shall be defined as all grasses, annual plants, and vegetation, other than trees or shrubs; provided, however, that this term shall not include cultivated flowers and gardens.
Prince George's County has no permanent lawn-watering schedule. Water is supplied by WSSC Water, and in humid Maryland outdoor watering is unrestricted in normal conditions. Watering limits apply only when the State declares a drought, when Level One rules can prohibit lawn watering.
MDE Level One Mandatory Water Use Restrictions
Level One restrictions include prohibitions against watering of lawns, automated watering of gardens, washing paved areas and non-commercial washing or cleaning of mobile equipment including automobiles, trucks, trailers and boats.
Rainwater harvesting is legal and actively encouraged in Prince George's County. Rain barrels and cisterns are Rain Check-approved practices eligible for county rebates, and Maryland counts rainwater harvesting as an accepted Environmental Site Design (ESD) stormwater practice.
Prince George's County encourages native and conservation landscaping rather than restricting it. The Rain Check Rebate Program offers a conservation landscaping rebate for native plantings, and the weed ordinance's exemption for cultivated gardens protects intentional native beds from height enforcement.
Prince George's County has no ordinance banning or specifically regulating residential artificial turf. Because Maryland is humid, turf is not a mandated drought measure. Installation is governed by general grading, stormwater and impervious-surface rules, and any large clearing still triggers Subtitle 25 tree conservation.
Prince George's County actively supports composting. Through the PGC Composts program, the County offers weekly curbside collection of food scraps and yard trim, runs an Organics Composting Facility, and provides a residential drop-off center. Backyard composting is allowed within property-maintenance limits.
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