Bristol, CT Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Section 5-52(b), part of Chapter 5's Article V property-maintenance code, sets a flat eight-inch ceiling on grass, weeds or similar vegetation that is not planted as a crop or for ornamental purposes. The limit applies wherever a building or dwelling sits on the lot, and separately to any vacant lot located within an approved and accepted subdivision, closing the gap that might otherwise let an empty subdivision lot grow wild while the house next door stays mowed. The rule sits alongside the broader exterior-maintenance duties of § 5-52(a), which requires owners to keep premises free of nuisances, garbage, refuse, rubbish, infestations and filth, and § 5-53, which places the identical duty on operators and occupants who are not the record owner.

Enforcement follows the same notice-and-abate track used for the rest of Article V: § 5-52(c) requires the chief building official to notify the owner of the violation and the city's intent to abate it within ten days, with notice complete once a violation notice is posted at the property and a copy mailed to the address on file with the assessor. If the owner does not cut the vegetation within that window, the chief building official may order the lot mowed and certify the abatement cost to the tax collector under Connecticut General Statutes § 12-169b, which allows the unpaid cost to be collected the same way as delinquent property taxes.