Flint, MI Landscaping Rules: Grass Height Limits (2026)

Flint's grass-height rule is codified at Section 39-43 of the City of Flint Code of Ordinances (Chapter 39, Article IV - Weeds, Grass and the Like), accessible at https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/flint/latest/flint_mi/0-0-0-12450. Section 39-43 declares vegetation taller than 8 inches a nuisance where the parcel is in a subdivision with 60% of land built out along improved public streets to a depth of 200 feet, or where the parcel is within 200 feet of any structure designed for human occupancy or use. Section 39-44 (https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/flint/latest/flint_mi/0-0-0-12463) requires the City Clerk to publish notice twice during the month of April announcing that nuisances must be abated May through September; once notice is posted and mailed, the owner has 5 days to abate. If the owner fails to act, the City may abate, destroy, or remove the nuisance as many times as necessary during the season and charge the cost to the property owner as a special assessment lien against the parcel. Enforcement is conducted by the City of Flint Department of Planning and Development - Blight Elimination unit, working with the Genesee County Land Bank Authority on the more than 18,000 vacant lots that contribute to Flint's blight challenge. Statewide background is Act 359 of 1941 (the Michigan Noxious Weeds Act, codified at MCL 247.61-247.72, full text https://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/mcl/pdf/mcl-Act-359-of-1941.pdf), which authorizes township, village, and city commissioners of noxious weeds to act on uncontrolled weed growth and to record a lien for the cost of eradication.