Lafayette, LA Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)
Key Facts
- Height limit
- 12 inches, city limits/occupied areas
- Enforcing agency
- Public Works Department
- Notice period
- 5 calendar days before abatement
- Admin fee
- $250.00 flat charge, Sec. 97-34
- Repeat violation
- Monthly abatement without notice after 12 months
- Ag exemption buffer
- 50-ft buffer must stay under 12 in
Summary
Lafayette caps weeds and grass at 12 inches on any occupied lot, abutting sidewalk, or neutral ground within the city limits and in occupied subdivisions of unincorporated Lafayette Parish. Public Works enforces Sec. 97-28(a) of the city-parish code, and a lot that becomes a haven for rodents violates the article regardless of height.
No tenant or occupant of any leased, occupied or unoccupied lot, place, property or area shall permit any noxious weeds, grass, or deleterious, unhealthy or noxious growths more than 12 inches in height to grow, stand or accumulate on any portion of any lot, place or area leased or occupied by the person, or on any abutting sidewalk or neutral ground; nor shall such person allow a lot, place or area of any abutting sidewalk or neutral ground to become a haven for rodents or other dangerous animals.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 65).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 97-28(a) of the Lafayette City-Parish Code of Ordinances governs properties within the city limits and occupied subdivisions and neighborhoods in the unincorporated parish: no occupant may let weeds, grass, or noxious growth exceed 12 inches, on the lot itself or on the abutting sidewalk or neutral ground (the strip between the property line and the roadway). A lot that becomes a haven for rodents or dangerous animals violates the article regardless of height. The director of public works may enter violating property under Sec.
97-30 and cut, rake, and remove the growth, but only after the owner has had at least five calendar days' notice by publication in the LCPG's official journal or by mail. If LCPG performs the work, Sec. 00 administrative charge, and Sec. 97-31 lets the finance department add unpaid bills to the owner's next tax bill and record a lien in the parish mortgage office, drawing legal interest. Corporate officers and partnership owners are personally answerable under Sec. 97-32 and 97-33. Under Sec. 97-36, repeat offenders lose the standard notice: if already notified once in the preceding 12 months and they failed to act, LCPG may abate monthly without further notice.
Agricultural land recorded as such with the tax assessor is exempt under Sec. 97-29 unless it borders an occupied subdivision, in which case a 50-foot buffer strip must still be kept under 12 inches.
Violations & Fines
Violating Sec. 97-28(a) triggers city-parish abatement rather than a criminal citation: public works cuts the growth after a five-day notice period, then bills the owner the contractor's fee plus a $250.00 administrative charge under Sec. 97-34. Unpaid charges are added to the owner's property tax bill and recorded as a lien in the parish mortgage office, drawing legal interest; LCPG may also sue to collect, including attorney's fees.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the maximum grass height allowed in Lafayette?
What happens if I don't cut my grass after a notice?
Can the city skip notifying me if my lot keeps violating?
Is farmland exempt from the height limit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lafayette
How Lafayette compares: Cities with the Strictest Weed and Property Maintenance Rules·Compare Lafayette to another location·View the Louisiana landscaping rules overview
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