Harrisburg, PA Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Chapter 3-363 of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was adopted 4-8-1997 by Ord. No. 3-1997. Its prohibition in § 3-363.2 covers all premises and exterior property within the City, which includes improved lots, and sets a height limit of 18 inches for tall grass and weeds. Noxious weeds are banned outright at any height.

The chapter defines TALL GRASS AND WEEDS in § 3-363.1 as all grasses, annual plants and vegetation, other than trees or shrubs. Cultivated flowers and gardens are excluded from the term, so a tended garden bed is not measured against the limit.

A second figure appears in the property maintenance chapter. Section 8-107.2 adopts the International Property Maintenance Code, 2018 Edition, and states that the adopted code is controlling within City limits except as amended by Chapter 8-107. Section 8-107.3 then replaces Section 302.4 of that code with text requiring premises and exterior property to be maintained free from weeds or plant growth in excess of 10 inches, prohibiting noxious weeds, and defining weeds as all grasses, annual plants and vegetation other than trees or shrubs, excluding cultivated flowers and gardens. The code prints both figures, 18 inches in Chapter 3-363 and 10 inches in the amended Section 302.4, and a lot kept under 10 inches satisfies both.

Chapter 3-363 is enforced by citation. Section 3-363.99 provides that whoever violates the chapter is subject to the issuance of an immediate non-traffic summary citation. The neighboring Chapter 3-365 adds a companion rule in § 3-365.2: all premises and exterior property within the City must be maintained free from any accumulation of refuse, and § 3-365.99 uses the same immediate non-traffic summary citation.