Lawrence, KS Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Section 18-302 defines 'excessive growth' as any plant reaching 12 inches or more in height above the ground, or 12 inches in length if it's matted down, measured along the stem; the article separately lists dozens of specific 'weeds' by common and scientific name, from ragweed and crabgrass to Johnson grass and pigweed. Section 18-304(a) makes it unlawful for any owner, agent, lessee, tenant or other person in charge of a property to let those weeds remain on the premises or on the strip between the property line and the centerline of an adjacent street or alley, covering sidewalks, easements and rights-of-way as well as the yard itself; the rule doesn't reach land in agricultural use more than 150 feet from an occupied residential lot.

Trees, shrubbery, flowers, ornamental plants, urban-agriculture crops and properly maintained gardens are excluded from the weed definition under § 18-304(b). Enforcement runs through a public officer designated by the city manager: after an investigation confirms excessive growth, § 18-305 requires a notice giving the owner ten days to cut the growth or request a hearing before the governing body, after which the city can abate the violation itself and bill the cost, including administrative costs, as a special assessment if unpaid after 30 days. 00, or up to 180 days in jail, or both, with each day of continuing violation a separate offense.