Howard County has no fixed lawn-height number for owner-occupied homes. Its Property Maintenance Code (adopting the International Property Maintenance Code) governs overgrown grass and weeds only on rental and non-owner-occupied housing; owner-occupied yards are left to your HOA.
Howard County is a charter county that governs Columbia, Ellicott City, Elkridge and all other unincorporated communities, so there is no separate city grass ordinance. County Code section 3.700 adopts the International Property Maintenance Code as the 'Howard County Property Maintenance Code for Rental Housing,' and section 101.2 limits its scope to rental and non-owner-occupied dwellings (use groups R-1, R-2, R-4 and non-owner-occupied R-3). The IPMC requires exterior premises to be kept free of weeds and rank plant growth. Owner-occupied single-family lawns are not enforced by the county; complaints there are referred to the homeowners or community association (e.g. the Columbia Association) that governs the property.
A property-maintenance violation is a misdemeanor: a fine not exceeding $1,000, or up to 30 days imprisonment, or both, plus possible rental-license revocation. Each day is a separate offense.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Howard County park property is open to the public every day from sunrise to sunset. Being in a park between sunset and sunrise is prohibited under Howard Cou...
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Howard County limits light trespass onto neighboring residential property. Measured three feet above ground at the property line, spillover is capped at 0.1 ...
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Howard County's Zoning Regulations Section 134.0 requires most outdoor light fixtures to be fully or partially shielded to reduce glare and skyglow. The rule...
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Howard County's sign code has no special garage-sale sign category. Signs placed in County rights-of-way or attached to utility poles or trees are prohibited...
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Howard County allows political campaign signs up to nine square feet total per premises in residential districts and 32 square feet in commercial or industri...
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Howard County has no standalone tiny-home zoning category. A permanent tiny dwelling is regulated as an accessory apartment under Section 128.0.13, which req...
See how Howard County's grass height limits rules stack up against other locations.
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