Bethel, CT Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

The 12-inch height limit sits inside Chapter 64, Blight, rather than a stand-alone lawn-care ordinance. D(1) lists overgrown brush, including weeds and grass but excluding ornamental grass, that exceeds 12 inches in height for 30 days or longer as one of the conditions that makes a residential property blighted. D(2) covers landscaping, including trees, shrubs, hedges, grass and plants, that physically blocks the lawful use of an abutting property or interferes with a public sidewalk, street, right-of-way or road sign. The Zoning Enforcement Officer, acting as the Town's anti-blight officer under § 64-4, investigates complaints filed on the town's blight complaint form at the Hurgin Municipal Center.

Because the standard is tied to a 30-day duration rather than a single mowing cycle, a single tall patch of grass is not automatically a violation; the officer documents the condition and gives the owner a written warning and a reasonable correction period under the § 64-7 notice procedure before any fine attaches. Section 64-6 requires the anti-blight officer to extend extra time to elderly, disabled or low-income owner-occupants who lack a capable household member to do the yard work themselves. The exceptions in § 64-9 do not cover overgrown vegetation; they apply only to vehicles, mechanical equipment and stacked firewood.