9 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Washtenaw County, Michigan.
Verified from official government sources
Washtenaw County has no countywide lawn-height rule; cities and townships set their own. In Ann Arbor, no turf grass on private property may exceed 12 inches. Ypsilanti and townships enforce comparable caps.
Ann Arbor Code 3:16 (Ch. 40)
On private property no turf grass shall be permitted at a height greater than 12 inches.
Ann Arbor requires trees and vegetation on private property to be trimmed so nothing intrudes into the public right-of-way below 8 feet, and to keep clear sight lines at intersections. This is a city rule; the county sets none.
Ann Arbor Code 3:14 (Ch. 40)
Trees and other vegetation on private property shall be maintained so that no part thereof intrudes upon public right-of-way in the space 8 feet above the surface of the right-of-way.
You generally may remove a tree on your own private property in Ann Arbor without a city permit, but you may not remove or injure any tree in the street right-of-way or on city land without the city administrator's written permission. Development sites face extra tree rules.
Ann Arbor Code 3:12 (Ch. 40)
No person without written permission of the city administrator shall plant, remove, break, spray or take any action which will injure or destroy any tree or shrub, the base of which is located in the street right-of-way or other city land.
Ann Arbor's weed control is folded into its grass rule: section 3:16, titled Grass and Weeds, bars turf grass on private property above 12 inches. There is no separate county noxious-weed schedule; state noxious-weed authority runs under Michigan law.
Ann Arbor Code 3:16 (Ch. 40, "Grass and weeds")
On private property no turf grass shall be permitted at a height greater than 12 inches.
Michigan has no statewide homeowner lawn-watering ban, and Washtenaw County sets none. Watering is largely unrestricted; the City of Ann Arbor asks residents to conserve voluntarily and can impose temporary limits during a shortage or emergency.
Rainwater harvesting is legal and unrestricted for homeowners in Washtenaw County and Michigan. Ann Arbor actively encourages rain barrels, rain gardens, and cisterns, and even offers stormwater-credit reductions for capturing runoff on-site.
Washtenaw County and Ann Arbor allow and actively encourage native-plant and pollinator landscaping. The 12-inch turf-grass cap targets neglected lawns, not intentional native beds, though tidy, maintained plantings avoid nuisance complaints.
Neither Washtenaw County nor Ann Arbor has a specific ordinance banning or permitting residential artificial turf. It is generally allowed, subject to standard zoning, stormwater, and setback rules set by your city or township.
Backyard composting is allowed in Ann Arbor, which also runs curbside compost and yard-waste collection. Grass clippings, leaves, and yard waste must not be dumped into the storm sewer, which is an illicit discharge prohibited under city code.
Ann Arbor Code 2:215 (Ch. 33, Use of the stormwater system)
An illicit discharge is any discharge to, or seepage into, a separate storm pipe that is not composed entirely of stormwater or uncontaminated groundwater.
1 cities in Washtenaw County have their own landscaping rules rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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