Lawton, OK Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

" It bars letting "trash and/or weeds, as defined in section 15-1-101 of this Code, grow, stand or accumulate upon the premises," and requires prompt removal once a nuisance exists. Section 15-1-101(33) sets the numeric trigger: vegetation "exceeds twelve (12) inches in height," with exceptions for healthy trees and shrubs, produce grown for human consumption, and vegetation in a tended, cultivated garden, unless the growth's density or location still interferes with mowing or otherwise threatens public health. Vegetation of any height is also a regulated weed if it harbors trash, rodents or vermin, gives off noxious odors, creates a fire or traffic hazard, or is dead or diseased.

Enforcement escalates by repeat offense on the same property within a rolling one-year window: a $300 cap on the first citation, $500 on the second, and $750 on the third and every citation after that. Before any fine, Section 15-2-204 requires the administrative officer to mail a written notice of violation giving the owner fifteen days to cut, mow, or clear the property, warn that the city will do the work and file a lien if the deadline passes, and advise of a right to appeal the order to the hearing officer, and from there to the city council, within fifteen and ten days respectively. Agricultural land is exempt unless weeds or trash within ten yards of an intersection right-of-way pose a traffic hazard.