Shelby County, TN Fire Regulations: Brush Clearance (2026)

Chapter 16, Article IV, Division 2 of the Shelby County Code lets the health department order clearance of "rank weeds, grasses or other underbrush" on unincorporated land whenever it poses a health or traffic hazard; vegetation over 12 inches tall is presumed to create rodent and mosquito harborage (§ 16-111). The health department or its designee must serve written notice, personally, by certified mail, or posted on the property, giving the owner 10 days to cut or clear the growth (§ 16-113(1)-(2)). If the owner misses the deadline, the county may enter the property, cut the vegetation itself, and for the following 365 days re-enter to control regrowth without further notice (§ 16-113(3)).

The county then mails an itemized bill; if it isn't paid within 30 days, the cost is certified to the county trustee, added to the property tax bill as a special tax, and becomes a lien with priority from the filing date, enforceable by attachment suit (§ 16-114(a)-(b)). 00 (§ 16-114(c)). Two exceptions exist: parcels larger than 4 acres not on a recorded plat, and land in active conforming agricultural use (crops, livestock, nurseries, greenbelt land), are exempt from routine clearance (§ 16-116) unless the growth becomes a traffic hazard, in which case § 16-117 requires the owner to clear obstructions to vehicular sight lines and sidewalks regardless of parcel size, with the county engineer assisting the health department in making that call. An aggrieved owner may seek judicial review of an order under § 16-118.