Jessamine County, KY Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Section 93.16 of the Jessamine County Code sets a hard number: vegetation is deemed unsightly once it reaches 10 inches in height. The rule covers an owner of property zoned principal, accessory, or conditional use as residential under the zoning regulations, where the parcel is 5 acres (plus or minus) or less, in the unincorporated area of Jessamine County or the City of Keene. Nicholasville and Wilmore run their own codes and are not covered here.

The Codes Enforcement Officer handles inspections and is empowered to cite owners into Jessamine County District Court. After an inspection, the Judge/Executive or a designee issues a written notice to the property owner. The notice can be hand delivered, posted at the property, or sent by certified mail, and it requires the vegetation to be removed or mowed below 10 inches within 5 days of the date of the violation notice. The owner can request an additional 3 days by contacting the Codes Enforcement Officer inside that 5-day window.

If no extension was granted, or the owner is still in violation after the 3-day extension, the officer can issue a citation and the county is empowered to enter the private property and fix the problem itself. The county then bills the owner for its expenses, and the owner has 10 days to pay. An unpaid bill becomes a lien: the county can file a Statement of Lien on the real estate with the County Clerk and enforce it by civil action in Jessamine Circuit Court.

Subsection (E) carves out wetlands and wildlife preserves, property zoned A-2 (Conservation), property under an approved Erosion Control Plan that designates areas for natural cover, county-owned land, residual agricultural land under the cluster development provisions, the remaining portion of A-1 land whose principal use is single-family residential and that is also used for permitted agriculture, and property subject to KRS 413.072.