Boone County, IN Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Boone County Code Chapter 155, the Housing and Environmental Standards Ordinance adopted by Ord. 91-4 in 1991, applies uniformly to the construction, maintenance, use and occupancy of residential buildings within Boone County's jurisdiction. Section 155.06 defines WEEDS as vegetation that has attained a height of 12 inches or more and constitutes a potential rat harborage or other health or safety hazard, tying the height threshold to a public-health rationale rather than aesthetics. Section 155.07(O) splits the cutting duty by building type: owners of a dwelling with three or more units must cut and remove all weeds on the premises, while in single- and two-family dwellings the occupant, not the landlord, bears that responsibility.

Neighboring divisions reinforce the standard: division (R) requires every owner of a premises without a vacant structure to keep the property safe and sanitary and remove garbage, rubbish and weeds, and division (S) applies the identical duty to a premises with no structure at all, closing the gap for vacant residential lots. Violations of Chapter 155 carry the county's general penalty under Section 10.99: a fine of up to $2,500 for a first offense and up to $7,500 for a second or subsequent offense, with each day of a continuing violation counted as a separate offense.

The Boone County Health Officer administers the chapter and, under division (Y), may enter a property and abate an offending condition directly if reinspection shows the hazard still threatens public health and safety. This height standard sits inside the county's minimum housing code, reaching occupied residential premises rather than farmland, which instead falls under the separate Weed Control Board process in Section 31.03.