Albany, NY Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Albany regulates lawn overgrowth and weeds through two layered authorities. Locally, City Code §313-51.1 (Property Maintenance) requires "all properties [to] be maintained free of heavy overgrowth and or accumulation of weeds." The City's Property Maintenance page identifies the Department of General Services (DGS) as the enforcement agency. The substantive numeric threshold comes from the New York State Property Maintenance Code, which Albany has adopted as the operative property-maintenance code for the city. PMCNYS §302.4 (Weeds) states verbatim: "All developed areas of a premises that are intended to be used by building occupants or the public shall be maintained free from weeds in excess of 10 inches (254 mm). Noxious weeds shall be prohibited." The 10-inch standard applies to developed/used portions of the lot — front yards, side yards, rear yards adjacent to walkways, parking areas, and similar spaces — not necessarily to undeveloped wooded edges. DGS handles complaints by issuing a written notice giving the owner time to mow and remove debris; if the owner does not comply, DGS may dispatch a crew to abate the violation and bill the owner for the mowing, administrative costs, and applicable fines. For vacant properties, chronic offenders, or imminent public-health concerns (e.g., snake/rodent harborage), the page notes that DGS may abate immediately without prior notice and bill the costs to the property. Unpaid abatement charges can be added to the city tax bill as a lien on the property.