Durham, NC Landscaping Rules: Grass Height Limits (2026)

Durham regulates overgrown vegetation under City Code Chapter 26 (Environment), which prohibits the growth of weeds, grass, vines, or briars over 12 inches in height when within either 100 feet of an abutting public street or 50 feet of a house or other residential, commercial, or industrial building. The ordinance declares such conditions a public nuisance where overgrown vegetation provides harborage for rodents, vermin, mosquitoes, or other pests, or exists in proximity to structures to increase hazards of disease, injury, or fire. Durham Neighborhood Improvement Services (NIS) responds to complaints filed online through DurhamOne Call or by phone at (919) 560-1200. When inspectors confirm a violation, they issue a written notice to the property owner providing a compliance deadline. If the owner does not cut the vegetation within the allowed timeframe, the City abates the nuisance by contracting a mowing crew and placing a lien on the property for actual costs plus administrative fees. Repeat offenders may face shortened notice periods. Vacant lots are a particular enforcement focus in East Durham and South Durham neighborhoods. Properties enrolled in a natural landscape plan or native meadow planting program may request an exemption, though such requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis by NIS staff. Agricultural parcels and undeveloped tracts with no adjacent residential structures receive different treatment. Durham's humid Piedmont climate drives rapid grass growth from April through October, making this one of the City's most frequent code enforcement actions.