In unincorporated St. Joseph County, front-yard weeds and rank vegetation over 9 inches violate the county's Weed and Rank Vegetation Control Ordinance, adopted in 2022 under the authority Indiana grants at IC 36-7-10.1-3.
Indiana is a Dillon's Rule state, so St. Joseph County's mowing power flows from IC 36-7-10.1-3, which lets a county require owners in unincorporated areas to cut weeds and rank vegetation and set the trigger height. The county's 2022 ordinance fixes that height at 9 inches in front yards, matching South Bend and Mishawaka, and covers unincorporated residential parcels around Granger, Clay Township, and the edges of Osceola. Actively maintained landscaping, agriculture, natural wooded areas, rain gardens, and native or pollinator plantings are exempt, so the rule targets neglect, not choice. Inside South Bend, Mishawaka, and Walkerton, each municipality enforces its own weed limit.
Owners get written notice and 10 days to cut or submit a plan; ignore it and the county mows and bills the cost. Repeat offenders face escalating fines of $100, then $200, then $500.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Mishawaka, IN
Mishawaka regulates parking under Chapter 58 (Traffic and Vehicles) of the Code of Ordinances, with Article IX (Parking Schedules) and Section 58-574 coverin...
St. Joseph County, IN
St. Joseph County does not regulate holiday lights, inflatables, or yard displays on homes. No county or municipal ordinance limits seasonal decorations; onl...
St. Joseph County, IN
Garage-sale signs are temporary signs in St. Joseph County, up to 24 square feet per frontage and two per lot in residential districts under Zoning Ordinance...
St. Joseph County, IN
St. Joseph County allows political yard signs as temporary signs. Zoning Ordinance §154.373 exempts signs up to 2 square feet from permits; a larger temporar...
St. Joseph County, IN
South Bend requires every non-occupant landlord to register rentals annually by September 1. Indiana Code 36-1-20-5 caps the fee at five dollars. Unincorpora...
St. Joseph County, IN
Indiana has no just-cause eviction. In St. Joseph County a landlord may end a tenancy without giving a reason. For unpaid rent, IC 32-31-1-6 requires at leas...
See how Mishawaka's grass height limits rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.