Clarkstown, NY Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)
Key Facts
- Grass/ground cover limit
- 10 inches maximum
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Town, not Nyack/Upper Nyack/South Nyack
- Correction window
- 5 days after written notice
- First offense fine
- Up to $2,500
- Repeat offense fine
- $10,000 to $15,000 (4th+ in 18 months)
- Enforcing officials
- Police, Building Inspector, Fire Inspector, Code Enforcement
Summary
Clarkstown's property maintenance code caps grass and other ground cover at 10 inches on every privately owned lot outside the incorporated villages. Owners, tenants and property managers must also keep trees and shrubbery free of noxious weeds, and must remove any dead or diseased tree that threatens life or property. Code Enforcement can order a fix within five days of written notice.
All owners, occupants, tenants, persons responsible for the management of the property or persons responsible for creating such an offense of any privately owned property within the unincorporated portion of the Town shall maintain grass or other ground cover, trees and shrubbery in a safe and attractive condition, free of noxious weeds and otherwise free of nuisance, hazard, debris, litter and unsightly materials. For the purposes of this provision, all grass or other ground cover shall be kept trimmed to a height of no greater than 10 inches. All dead or diseased trees or any portion thereof which present any hazard to life or property shall be removed. The failure to maintain property as required by this section shall be deemed an offense.
Full Breakdown
L. No. 12-2008, applies only to the unincorporated portion of the Town of Clarkstown, meaning it stops at the borders of the Villages of Nyack, Upper Nyack and South Nyack, which enforce their own codes. Section 216-4, Landscaping maintenance, requires every owner, occupant, tenant or person responsible for managing a privately owned property to keep grass or other ground cover, trees and shrubbery in a safe and attractive condition, free of noxious weeds and free of nuisance, hazard, debris, litter and unsightly materials. The section fixes the numeric line at 10 inches: any grass or ground cover taller than that is a code violation.
It also requires removal of any dead or diseased tree, or any hazardous portion of one, that presents a hazard to life or property. Enforcement runs through Section 216-6. A member of the Police Department, the Fire Inspector or assistant, the Building Inspector or assistant, a Code Enforcement Official, or the Superintendent of Highways or deputy can order the offense removed, and the owner, tenant or occupant then has five days from service of written notice to correct it. Notice is served by posting a copy on the property and mailing a copy by first-class mail to the address on the latest Town assessment roll.
If the condition is not corrected, Section 216-8 lets the Town Board hold a public hearing and have the Superintendent of Highways or a private contractor remove the growth, assessing the cost as a lien against the property.
Violations & Fines
Under Section 216-7, a first violation of the 10-inch grass limit or any other Chapter 216 landscaping requirement carries a fine of up to $2,500. A second offense within 18 months runs $2,500 to $5,000, a third runs $7,500 to $10,000, and a fourth or later offense within the same 18-month window runs $10,000 to $15,000. Each week the violation continues is a separate offense, and ignoring a corrective order under Section 216-6 is its own separate violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can my grass get before Clarkstown cites me?
Does this 10-inch rule apply inside Nyack or Upper Nyack?
What happens if I ignore the notice to cut my grass?
How much is the fine for tall grass in Clarkstown?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Clarkstown
How Clarkstown compares: Cities with the Strictest Weed and Property Maintenance Rules·New York rules heatmap·Compare Clarkstown to another location·View the New York landscaping rules overview
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