Bartholomew County, IN Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)
Key Facts
- Height trigger
- over 12 inches
- Exempt vegetation
- trees, shrubs, cultivated flowers, garden crops
- Where it applies
- unincorporated residential parcels under 3 acres
- Adopted
- Ord. 1989-04, April 3, 1989
- Penalty ceiling
- up to $2,500 per offense, § 10.99
Summary
In unincorporated Bartholomew County, § 94.03 declares weeds or other rank vegetation a public nuisance the moment it grows past 12 inches tall on a residential parcel. Trees, ornamental shrubs and bushes, cultivated flowers and garden crops are excluded. Section 94.04 limits the rule to residential areas: two or more adjoining parcels used or meant for residential use where none exceeds three acres.
All weeds or other rank vegetation (not including trees, ornamental shrubs and bushes, cultivated flowers and garden crops) growing on parcels of real estate in unincorporated residential areas of the county, when allowed to grow in excess of 12 inches in height, are declared to be a public nuisance. ... A RESIDENTIAL AREA shall be any two or more adjoining parcels of real estate, used or intended for residential purposes, whether platted or unplatted, neither or none of which exceeds three acres in size.
Full Breakdown
03 sets the county's operative weed and grass standard: any weeds or other rank vegetation growing on real estate in an unincorporated residential area of the county become a declared public nuisance once they exceed 12 inches in height. The rule carves out an exception for trees, ornamental shrubs and bushes, cultivated flowers and garden crops, so a vegetable garden or landscaped shrub bed does not trip the 12-inch trigger even if the plants themselves grow taller. 04 defines the geography the height limit reaches: a RESIDENTIAL AREA is any two or more adjoining parcels of real estate, platted or unplatted, used or intended for residential purposes, where none of the adjoining parcels exceeds three acres in size.
That means the 12-inch ceiling applies lot by lot within a residential cluster in the unincorporated county, not to standalone farmland or large acreage tracts. 09 take over, giving the Board of Commissioners the tools to order the cut, have the county do it if ignored, and recover the cost through the property tax duplicate. C. for weeds and rank vegetation, though the county's own 12-inch figure is the operative number a homeowner needs to track.
Violations & Fines
Vegetation left above the 12-inch nuisance line can draw a county-ordered cut under §§ 94.05 through 94.09, with the actual removal cost billed to the owner and added to the property tax duplicate if unpaid within ten days of the statement. Because the chapter's specific fine defers to the general penalty section, a separate ordinance violation fine of up to $2,500 under § 10.99 can also apply, with each day of the overgrown condition treated as its own offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can weeds or grass legally grow in unincorporated Bartholomew County?
Does the 12-inch rule apply to my flower beds or vegetable garden?
Does this weed height rule cover rural farmland outside a subdivision?
What law backs up the county's authority to regulate weed height?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bartholomew County
How Bartholomew County compares: Cities with the Strictest Weed and Property Maintenance Rules·Compare Bartholomew County to another location·View the Indiana landscaping rules overview
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