Vanderburgh County, IN Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)
Key Facts
- Height limit
- 9 inches
- Governing section
- County Code 8.16.020(A)(1)
- First violation penalty
- $100 civil penalty
- Repeat penalty (3rd+)
- $500 civil penalty per year
- Correction window
- 10 calendar days after notice
- Court add-on penalty
- up to $5,000
Summary
Vanderburgh County caps weed and grass growth at nine inches on any real property in the unincorporated area, improved or not. County Code 8.16.020(A)(1) makes it a violation for the owner or anyone with a substantial property interest to let weeds exceed that height, enforced with escalating civil penalties.
It shall be a violation of this code for the owner, or anyone having a substantial property interest in real property, including open or vacant property within the unincorporated County, to allow any growth of weeds, as defined in Vanderburgh County Code 8.16.010, in excess of nine inches in height upon on that real property
Full Breakdown
1-3. 100 exempts a defined and signed "managed natural landscape" that keeps growth out of the right-of-way, cultivated commercial or agricultural land, existing forest cleared 15 feet from roadways and 5 feet from occupied neighboring property, and mapped wetlands. 070: a notice of violation gives the owner 10 calendar days to cut the growth or request a hearing before the department has the work done by its own crew or a hired contractor and bills the owner for the cost plus administrative expense. Because Evansville and the county share zoning administration through the Area Plan Commission, this particular nuisance-abatement chapter is a straight county ordinance, not a joint city-county rule, and it applies only in the unincorporated county; Evansville enforces its own weed ordinance inside city limits.
Violations & Fines
First violation in a calendar year carries a $100 civil penalty, the second violation in the same year $250, and the third and any later violation that year $500, per County Code 8.16.090(B)(1). A court may add a further civil penalty of up to $5,000 for noncompliance under 8.16.090(B)(2), and a judgment debtor may petition to substitute community restitution or service for the fine if the county attorney agrees and the court approves.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can grass or weeds get on my property in unincorporated Vanderburgh County before it's a violation?
What happens after I get a weed violation notice?
Can I let part of my yard grow wild as a natural landscape?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Vanderburgh County
How Vanderburgh County compares: Cities with the Strictest Weed and Property Maintenance Rules·Compare Vanderburgh County to another location·View the Indiana landscaping rules overview
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