Goodyear, AZ Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)
Key Facts
- Max weed height
- 6 inches (152 mm)
- Noxious weeds
- prohibited outright
- Exempt
- cultivated flowers and gardens
- Enforcement
- city/contractor abatement and billback
- Penalty
- $50-$2,500 individual, up to $20,000 enterprise
- Adopted code
- 2024 IPMC § 302.4
Summary
Goodyear property owners must keep weeds and plant growth under six inches under the city's adopted International Property Maintenance Code. Noxious weeds are banned outright, and if an owner ignores a notice of violation, the city can send a crew or contractor onto the property to cut the weeds and bill the owner for the cost.
302.4 Weeds. Premises and exterior property shall be maintained free from weeds or plant growth in excess of six (6) inches (152 mm). Noxious weeds shall be prohibited. Weeds shall be defined as all grasses, annual plants and vegetation, other than trees or shrubs provided; however, this term shall not include cultivated flowers and gardens. Upon failure of the owner or agent having charge of a property to cut and destroy weeds after service of a notice of violation, they shall be subject to prosecution in accordance with Section 109 and as prescribed by the authority having jurisdiction. Upon failure to comply with the notice of violation, any duly authorized employee of the jurisdiction or contractor hired by the jurisdiction shall be authorized to enter upon the property in violation and cut and destroy the weeds growing thereon, and the costs of such removal shall be paid by the owner or agent responsible for the property.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 26-1648, passed April 27, 2026).
Full Breakdown
4, as locally amended, sets the operative weed standard: premises and exterior property must be kept free of weeds or plant growth taller than six inches (152 mm), and noxious weeds are prohibited outright regardless of height. The code defines WEEDS broadly as grasses, annual plants and other vegetation, but carves out cultivated flowers and gardens so landscaped beds are not swept into the violation. 4 authorizes a city employee or a contractor hired by the city to enter the property, cut the weeds, and bill the owner or agent for the cost of removal.
4. Because the weed rule sits inside the city's broader technical-code adoption, the same administrative and appeal structure used for building, plumbing and electrical permits, including the Board of Appeals created under IBC § 113, applies to disputed weed violations, and the general building-code penalty in § 9-5-1 backs it with fines from $50 to $2,500 for an individual, or up to $20,000 for an enterprise.
Violations & Fines
Ignoring a weed notice of violation lets the city abate the condition itself, cut and remove the weeds through its own crew or a hired contractor, and bill the owner or responsible agent for the cost. Owners who fail to comply can also be prosecuted under IPMC § 109 and are subject to Goodyear's general code penalty of $50 to $2,500 for an individual or up to $20,000 for an enterprise, with each ten-day period of continued violation treated as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can weeds be on my Goodyear property?
What happens if I don't cut my weeds after a notice?
Do cultivated gardens count as weeds under Goodyear's code?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Goodyear
How Goodyear compares: Cities with the Strictest Weed and Property Maintenance Rules·Compare Goodyear to another location·View the Arizona landscaping rules overview
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