Lower Paxton, PA Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Lower Paxton Township adopted the 2009 International Property Maintenance Code in Chapter 148 (§ 148-1) and then rewrote Section 302.4 in § 148-2. As rewritten, all premises and exterior property must be maintained free from weeds or plant growth in excess of 10 inches. The Board of Supervisors fixed that figure by inserting "10 inches" into the model code's blank.

The township defines weeds broadly: all grasses, annual plants and vegetation other than trees or shrubs. Cultivated flowers and gardens are carved out and do not count. A second version of the paragraph in § 148-2 adds a definition of noxious weeds: those listed as noxious by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, plus bamboo, poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac. Noxious weeds are prohibited at any height, so the 10-inch measure does not protect them.

The rule reaches past the house itself. For purposes of Section 302.4, premises and exterior property are limited to the minimum lot area required by the Lower Paxton Township Zoning Ordinance, plus a setback of 10 feet outside that minimum lot area. Any part of a property beyond the minimum lot area and the ten-foot band is exempt from the weed rule. The 10-foot band means grass growing along an adjoining strip outside your lot line counts toward your compliance.

Enforcement starts with a notice of violation from the township's codes officials. If the owner or agent in charge fails to cut and destroy the weeds after being served, that person is subject to prosecution under Section 106.3. If the notice is ignored, a duly authorized township employee or a contractor hired by the township is authorized to enter the property, cut and destroy the weeds, and bill the owner or responsible agent for the cost of the removal.

Someone served with a notice or order who disagrees can appeal. Section 111 of the code, as applied in § 148-2, sends those appeals to the Zoning Hearing Board of Lower Paxton Township, and the application fee is the same fee the township charges for a zoning variance application heard by that board.