Lexington, KY Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)
Key Facts
- Height limit
- 10 inches (weeds and grass, Sec. 12-2)
- Fine
- $100–$2,500 per offense, per day
- Repeat-offender civil fine
- $100–$1,500 within 24 months
- Banned outright
- USDA-listed noxious weeds regardless of height
- Exempt
- agricultural-zoned land, native/pollinator naturalization
- Enforced by
- code enforcement board / hearing officers
- Abatement
- city can mow and lien the property (§12-3)
Summary
Lexington-Fayette makes it unlawful for any owner to let weeds or grass grow past 10 inches anywhere on a property, including the strip between the sidewalk and the street, and repeat violators within two years face escalating civil fines up to $1,500 on top of the standard $100-to-$2,500 nuisance fine.
Weed shall mean any plant, bush, vine and other vegetation, whether classified as edible or not, that grows in an aggressive or invasive manner and/or is unmaintained, undesirable, or may cause blight on the property. ... It shall be unlawful for the owner to permit any weeds, or grass, edible or not, to grow to a height exceeding ten (10) inches anywhere on such premises, including those portions thereof abutting any street, road, alley or other thoroughfare, and in the event such premises are crossed by a sidewalk, ditch, pathway, private roadway, fence or other natural or manmade boundary or divider... any such weeds or grass exceeding such height are hereby declared to be a nuisance.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Republication | Zoning Ordinance: Republication).
Full Breakdown
' The same subsection separately bans specific noxious species, thistle, jimson, burdock, ragweed, cocklebur, poison ivy, poison oak, pokeweed, poison sumac and poison hemlock, outright, regardless of height. Exceptions carve out agricultural-zoned land (unless platted for residential development), remnant or non-buildable parcels over an acre (which need only an 8-foot buffer near developed property or within 200 feet of a structure), riparian buffer permit areas, environmentally sensitive land, and clearly maintained crops, ornamental plantings or intentional native/pollinator naturalization, so long as the naturalized planting isn't simply abandoned and avoids species the Kentucky Exotic Plant Pest Council rates a level-one threat.
Enforcement runs through a code enforcement board with assigned hearing officers under Section 12-2's opening clause, and the city can abate the violation itself and bill the owner under Section 12-3 if a notice of violation goes unheeded, with the abatement cost and an administrative fee becoming a lien on the property. Section 12-5 sets the fine: $100 to $2,500 per offense with each day a separate offense, plus an alternative civil-fine track for repeat offenders scaled by how many citations the same property has drawn within a rolling 24-month period.
Violations & Fines
Overgrown weeds or grass past 10 inches draws a fine of $100 to $2,500 per offense under Section 12-5, with each day of continued violation a separate offense. Owners cited more than once on the same property within 24 months face an added civil-fine schedule, $100 for a second citation, $250 for a third, $500 for a fourth, $1,000 for a fifth and $1,500 for a sixth or later, and unpaid abatement costs become a lien on the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can grass or weeds get in Lexington before it's a violation?
What happens if I get cited more than once?
Are wildflower gardens or native landscaping allowed?
Will the city mow my lawn if I don't?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lexington
How Lexington compares: Cities with the Strictest Weed and Property Maintenance Rules·Compare Lexington to another location·View the Kentucky landscaping rules overview
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