Dubuque, IA Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Subsection A of section 6-8-2 places a citywide duty on every lot owner, improved or not, to keep the property free and clear of any dense growth of weeds, vines, brush or other vegetation that may constitute a health, safety or fire hazard; the code declares that growth a public nuisance outright rather than tying enforcement to a specific inch or foot measurement. When the city manager determines a lot's weeds, vines, brush or other growth rise to that hazard level, subsection B requires a written notice sent by certified mail to the owner, or the owner's agent or attorney, directing removal, and it guarantees the owner an opportunity for a hearing to contest the determination and abatement order.

An owner who fails to cut or destroy the growth within five days of that mailing faces city crews finishing the job under subsection D: the city manager certifies the actual cost of the work to the city clerk, who adds administrative costs and certifies the total to the Dubuque County treasurer, and the combined amount becomes a lien collected the same way as general property taxes. Before that certification, subsection B requires a second certified-mail notice giving the owner a further hearing opportunity to contest the cost amount itself.

Subsection C separately makes compliance with a removal notice an owner's continuing duty, so a partial cut that leaves the hazard standing does not satisfy the order. This provision traces to Ordinance 47-05, adopted August 1, 2005, and to the 2007 Code sections it recompiled.