No Massachusetts statute sets a grass height, so each Essex County community enforces its own property-maintenance bylaw. Lynn, Lawrence, Salem, Haverhill and Beverly treat lawns and weeds over about ten inches as a public nuisance on occupied lots.
Grass and weed limits across Essex County live in local bylaws and health regulations, not a county code, because Massachusetts dissolved Essex County government in 1999. Cities like Lynn and Lawrence order owners to cut overgrowth once it passes roughly ten inches; ignoring the notice lets the city mow the lot and bill the owner. Vacant and wooded parcels are exempt, and meadow or conservation plantings are allowed where zoning permits.
Written notice to cut comes first; unresolved overgrowth is abated by the city and charged to the owner, with fines running about $50 to $300 per day.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Swampscott, MA
Swampscott restricts commercial vehicle parking in residential districts through its Zoning By-Law. Commercial vehicles and equipment owned by service contra...
Essex County, MA
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Essex County, MA
Massachusetts has no statewide dark-sky law, so night-sky protection in Essex County comes from town outdoor-lighting bylaws. Rowley, Rockport, and other com...
Essex County, MA
Parks in Essex County close at night. State conservation land follows a dawn-to-dusk rule under 302 CMR 12.03, and each town sets matching hours for its own ...
Essex County, MA
Massachusetts has no statewide juvenile curfew, and Essex County has no county code. A few towns keep local nighttime curfews, but the state's high court lim...
Essex County, MA
Commercial drone work anywhere in Essex County runs under the FAA's Part 107 rule. Massachusetts adds no county permit; operators hold a Remote Pilot Certifi...
See how Swampscott's grass height limits rules stack up against other locations.
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