Florissant, MO Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Chapter 213, Article II of the Florissant Code targets uncut weeds and grass directly. Section 213.070 makes it a misdemeanor for an owner, lessee, occupant or anyone else with control of a lot inside the City to let weeds grow past eight inches, whether that control comes from ownership or from an easement or right-of-way agreement. The Article's definition section, § 213.060, spells out what counts: thistle, wild mustard, ragweed, goldenrod, milkweed, poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac and "the weed, grass, herb and hemp (marijuana) genera" generally, while carving out trees, vegetable and herb gardens, fruit-bearing plants and ornamental flowers, shrubs, vines and ground cover.

Enforcement runs through the Director of Public Works. Under § 213.080 the Director sends written notice by certified mail to the owner, lessee or occupant. Section 213.090 then gives the property five days after receiving that notice, or ten days after it is mailed if delivery fails, to cut and remove the growth before the City orders the work done itself. If weeds come back a second time in the same growing season after a prior notice, § 213.090(B) lets the Director order removal again with no further notice at all.

Costs are recovered aggressively: § 213.100 bills the actual cost of the City's cutting crew back to the owner with 6% annual interest from the completion date, and unpaid bills become a recorded lien enforceable the same way as other City liens, filed with the St. Louis County Recorder of Deeds. Section 213.120 sets the underlying offense as a misdemeanor punishable under § 100.080, though a first offender cannot be prosecuted until served with the § 213.080/213.090 notices and given a chance to comply. Section 213.130 lets the City Council exempt specific parcels where cutting would cause undue hardship, excessive soil erosion, inaccessibility, or danger to whoever would have to do the cutting.