Franklin, TN Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Section 13-104 of the Franklin Municipal Code states that every owner or tenant of property shall periodically cut the grass and other vegetation commonly recognized as weeds on his property, and makes it unlawful for any person to fail to comply with an order by the city recorder, health officer, or chief of police to cut such vegetation when it has reached a height of over one foot. The one-foot threshold is a trigger for an official order, not an automatic citation; the ordinance is enforced when one of those three officials issues a cut order and the owner or tenant fails to act.

The rule sits inside title 13, chapter 1, Miscellaneous, alongside Franklin's broader property-maintenance nuisance provisions, including Sec. 13-106, which separately bars letting a property become or remain in a filthy condition or breed flies, rodents, or other vermin. Enforcement backup comes from Sec. 13-112, City clean up of property and lien: if the city determines in its discretion that a property is maintained in a manner which may be considered dangerous or detrimental to the health, safety and welfare of the community, it can, after ten days' notice to the owner of record or occupant, enter upon the property and make any repairs or improvements needed, which covers cutting overgrown vegetation.

The owner then must pay the city's costs within five days of billing, and unpaid costs become a continuing lien and charge against the property that includes reasonable attorney's fees to the extent permissible by law. The city may sue the owner directly, foreclose the lien, or add the cost to the property tax bill.