Manchester, NH Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- § 150.002(g) definition; § 150.023 duty
- Applies to
- any premises with a dwelling or accessory structure
- Nuisance includes
- uncontrolled weeds, rubbish, garbage
- First offense fine
- $200
- Third offense fine
- $500
- Enforcing agency
- Planning and Community Development Department
Summary
Manchester's housing code declares any premises with an uncontrolled growth of weeds, or littered with rubbish or garbage, a public nuisance, and requires every premises to be kept free of nuisances. Fines run $200 for a first offense up to $500 for a third.
PUBLIC NUISANCE. Includes the following: ... (g) Any premises which are unsanitary, or which are littered with rubbish or garbage, or which have an uncontrolled growth of weeds. ... § 150.023 PUBLIC NUISANCES. All premises shall be maintained free from public nuisances.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-25: current through Ord. passed 6-3-2025).
Full Breakdown
002 lists PUBLIC NUISANCE as including, among other conditions, any premises which are unsanitary or which are littered with rubbish or garbage or which have an uncontrolled growth of weeds. That sits alongside other listed nuisances such as attractive hazards to children, unsafe fences, unsanitary plumbing, fire hazards, and structures in a state of dilapidation, so weed growth is treated as part of the same broad public-nuisance standard the housing code uses for junk and unsafe conditions. 023: all premises shall be maintained free from public nuisances.
002 as a plot or parcel of land including any dwelling or accessory structure on it, so the rule reaches yards and lots tied to a structure rather than every vacant parcel in the city. 142 identifying the condition and a correction deadline. 999, which matters because it sets a materially higher fine than most other minimum-standards sections in the same chapter.
Violations & Fines
A first citation for violating § 150.023 is $200, a second is $300, and a third is $500, under the schedule fixed for that section in § 38.06(A)(1); any of those citation amounts doubles automatically if unpaid within seven days, up to a $1,000 cap. That is a materially higher schedule than the chapter's default $50/$100/$200 catch-all penalty in § 150.999, reflecting the city's treatment of an uncontrolled weed lot as a standing public nuisance rather than a minor maintenance lapse.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Manchester set a maximum grass height in inches?
Does the weed rule apply to an empty lot with no building on it?
How does the city start enforcement against an overgrown lot?
What is the fine if I ignore a weed nuisance notice?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Manchester
How Manchester compares: Cities with the Strictest Weed and Property Maintenance Rules·Compare Manchester to another location·View the New Hampshire landscaping rules overview
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