Bellingham, WA Landscaping Rules: Grass Height Limits (2026)

Unlike many cities with a fixed grass-height ordinance, Bellingham regulates vegetation by impact, not measured height. Under BMC 10.28.020, the City declares as a nuisance the existence of any natural or manmade obstruction — including landscaping such as trees, shrubs, hedges, or foliage — that is apt to destroy, impair, interfere with, or otherwise restrict streets, sidewalks, sewers, utilities, or other public improvements, or the free use of and access to them. The chapter specifically names vines or climbing plants growing into or over street trees or utility poles; shrubs, vines, or plants growing on, around, or in front of fire-protection facilities so as to obscure them or impair access; and trees, hedges, billboards, or other obstructions that prevent visibility of traffic approaching an intersection from cross streets as nuisances. Under BMC 13.40.050, the abutting property owner is responsible for maintaining street trees and other vegetation on planting strips adjacent to streets that are not on the city maintenance responsibility list, and for keeping the adjacent sidewalk clear of obstructing vegetation. Within the Lake Whatcom watershed, BMC 16.80 imposes additional vegetation-management constraints (see Water Restrictions and Native Plants entries). The City's Lake Whatcom Lawn & Garden program encourages letting lawns go dormant in summer rather than mowing low — the City has no mowing-frequency mandate.