Corvallis, OR Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Corvallis' weed abatement rule, Section 5.03.110.020 of the Environment article in Chapter 5.03.110, requires the person owning, possessing, or having care or custody of any lot or parcel of land, including the adjacent park strip area within the public right-of-way, to cut brush, weeds, thistles, grass, or other rank or noxious vegetable growth as close to the ground as reasonably practical once it reaches a height of 10 inches or more. The cutting duty runs only during the growing season named in the ordinance, between May 15 and September 30 of each year, matching the mowing and fire season in the mid-Willamette Valley.

The section also folds in a cross-reference on street trees: an adjacent property owner must get a City Manager permit under Section 2.19.060 before removing any street or public tree, so a resident cannot simply clear a park strip tree while mowing back the weeds around it. A violation of the weed height limit is a Class A Infraction, the code's standard civil-penalty tier for property-maintenance offenses, distinct from the misdemeanor tiers used for alcohol and animal-cruelty violations elsewhere in Title 5. The section traces to the original 1982 ordinance (Ord.

82-77 Section 110.02) and was most recently amended by Ordinance 2023-17, Section 4 (Exhibit A), effective May 15, 2023. Community Development and code enforcement staff, working with the Corvallis Police Department, respond to weed complaints and can cite the person in care or custody of the property, whether or not that person is the titled owner.