Amarillo, TX Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)
Key Facts
- Maximum height
- 8 inches
- Time to cure
- 10 calendar days
- Enforcing agency
- Building Official
- Administrative charge
- $75
- Unpaid abatement cost
- Lien filed with county clerk
Summary
Amarillo caps grasses, weeds, and uncultivated brush at eight inches. The Building Official issues written notice; the owner gets ten calendar days to mow before the city cuts it, bills a $75 administrative fee, and files a lien.
All grasses, weeds, and other plants in excess of eight (8) inches in height that are cultivated and growing in rank profusion... The owner shall have ten (10) calendar days from the date the initial notice of violation is mailed or served in which to mow, trim, cut or remove Excess Vegetation... At the expiration of such ten (10) days the Building Official or designee may enter upon the Premises and may do necessary work or cause the same to be done, in order to abate and remove the matters mentioned in this subsection.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 81).
Full Breakdown
Under Section 4-3-2 of the Amarillo Municipal Code, grasses, weeds, and other plants over eight inches growing in rank profusion, plus noxious weeds and uncultivated brush over eight inches, are 'Excess Vegetation' and a declared public nuisance; cultivated flowers, gardens, and lawns are exempt. The Building Official mails certified notice, and the recorded owner has ten calendar days to mow, trim, or remove it. After that, the city or its contractor enters the premises and abates the growth, then invoices the owner and adds a $75 administrative charge. An invoice unpaid within thirty days becomes a lien filed with the county clerk. The nuisance is enforceable up to 5,000 feet beyond the city limits.
Violations & Fines
Ignoring the ten-day notice lets the city mow your lot and bill the actual cost plus a $75 administrative charge; an invoice unpaid within thirty days becomes a lien filed with the county clerk against the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can my grass get in Amarillo?
What happens if I don't mow after the notice?
Can the city put a lien on my property?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Amarillo
How Amarillo compares: Cities with the Strictest Weed and Property Maintenance Rules·Texas rules heatmap·Compare Amarillo to another location·View the Texas landscaping rules overview
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