Bloomfield, NJ Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

The nine-inch cap appears in § 611-2, Solid waste receptacles, collection and deposits, subsection K, headed Yard growth/waste. Item (3) reads: Grass/weeds growth must not exceed nine inches. The same subsection requires yard growth and waste to be placed in a biodegradable bag, caps each item at 50 pounds, bars piling that creates a nuisance or attracts insects or rodents, and sets a minimum of 10 feet from each property line for a composting location. Items (4) and (5) were added on 7-12-2023 by Ord. No. BOH 03-2023. Chapter 611 itself was adopted by the Bloomfield Board of Health and amended in its entirety on 5-18-2017 by BOH Ord. No. 003-2017.

Other sections of Chapter 611 widen the picture. Section 611-3(B) requires the landscaping of premises to be maintained in an orderly state, with lawns and bushes trimmed and free from litter, including brush and leaves. Section 611-3(A)(1) requires owners to keep brush, hedges and other plant life within 10 feet of any street and within 25 feet of the intersection of two streets cut to a height of not more than 2 1/2 feet where the Township Council deems it necessary and expedient for public safety. Section 611-3(C)(2) declares poison ivy, poison oak or poison sumac on any property a public health nuisance. Separately, § 497-9 makes the owner or tenant responsible for removing grass, weeds and impediments from the right-of-way strip between the curb and sidewalk.

When the Health Officer or a designee finds a violation, § 611-4 authorizes a removal order and a violation notice with a compliance deadline not exceeding 10 days. If the owner ignores the notice, § 611-5 has the Health Officer remove the growth under N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.13 and 40:48-2.14 and certify the cost to the Township Council of Bloomfield, which charges it against the property as a lien added to the next taxes and bearing interest at the tax rate.