Ankeny, IA Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)
Key Facts
- Height limit
- 12 inches for grass, weeds, and volunteer trees
- Notice before City cuts
- 5 days' written notice by ordinary mail
- Cost recovery
- Certified to Polk County Treasurer as tax assessment
- Assessment hearing deadline
- No later than December 15 each year
- Governing chapter
- Chapter 167, Noxious Weeds
Summary
In the City of Ankeny, Iowa, no owner may let grass, weeds, volunteer trees, or other vegetation grow past 12 inches tall on land within the City. After 5 days' written notice, the City can cut or eliminate overgrown vegetation itself and bill the owner through the property tax roll.
It shall be the duty of each owner or each person in the possession or control of any lands lying within the City to keep such land free from weeds, vines, brush or other vegetation when such growth constitutes a health, safety or fire hazard, even though such weeds, vines, brush or other vegetation do not fall within the definition of noxious weeds under the provisions of Chapter 317 of the Code of Iowa. No person shall allow or permit grass, weeds, volunteer/weed trees, or other vegetation to grow upon their property to a height in excess of twelve (12) inches. All grass or weeds or other vegetation exceeding such height restrictions may be cut or eliminated by the City after giving five days’ written notice to the owner or occupant of such property. Such notice may be mailed, by ordinary mail, to the owner’s last address, no less than five (5) days prior to the required action. A failure to receive such notice shall not be deemed to be a defense to any assessment certified under this section.
Full Breakdown
Ankeny Code of Ordinances § 167.02, Vegetation Height Restrictions, requires every owner or person in possession or control of land in the City to keep it "free from weeds, vines, brush or other vegetation when such growth constitutes a health, safety or fire hazard," even if that growth does not meet the state's technical definition of a noxious weed under Iowa Code Chapter 317. The section then sets a flat numeric ceiling: "No person shall allow or permit grass, weeds, volunteer/weed trees, or other vegetation to grow upon their property to a height in excess of twelve (12) inches." If a property exceeds that height, the City may cut or eliminate the vegetation after giving the owner or occupant five days' written notice, mailed by ordinary mail to the owner's last known address; the ordinance is explicit that a failure to actually receive that mailed notice "shall not be deemed to be a defense" once it has been sent.
When the City performs the cutting itself, § 167.03 lets it recover the actual cost of labor and materials, plus an administrative fee the Council sets by resolution, by certifying the assessment to the Polk County Treasurer for collection on the property tax bill, with the same interest and penalties that attach to unpaid taxes. Before that happens, the City Engineer must prepare a plat and schedule of affected parcels under Iowa Code § 384.59, and the Council must hold a hearing, noticed by two newspaper publications, no later than December 15 of the year, at which the owner can object with the same rights afforded to other special-assessment protests.
Violations & Fines
Vegetation left above the 12-inch ceiling in § 167.02 after five days' written notice lets the City cut it and recover the labor, material, and administrative-fee costs from the owner through a special assessment certified to the Polk County Treasurer and collected on the tax bill "in the same manner as other unpaid taxes," including any interest and penalties that attach to a delinquent tax payment.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can I let my grass grow in Ankeny before it's a violation?
What notice does the City give before cutting overgrown vegetation?
How does the City bill me if it has to cut my weeds?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ankeny
How Ankeny compares: Cities with the Strictest Weed and Property Maintenance Rules·Compare Ankeny to another location·View the Iowa landscaping rules overview
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