Morgan County, IN Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Chapter 94's weed subchapter, adopted by Ord. 2021-10, defines WEEDS and RANK VEGETATION in § 94.21 as any excessive growth other than trees, bushes, shrubs or ornamental plants that reaches 12 inches or more in height, or that is listed as a weed in the USDA's 'Common Weeds of the United States' or a similar publication; the definition exempts agricultural crops such as hay and pasture and wooded or hazard areas of a golf course. Section 94.22(B) makes it a violation for an owner to let weeds or rank vegetation exceed 12 inches, or to let garbage or junk accumulate, on residential or commercial property in a way the Code Enforcement Official (the Morgan County Department of Planning and Zoning, per § 94.21) determines creates a public nuisance.

Enforcement runs through a notice-and-abatement process under § 94.22(D)-(K): any resident can file a violation report, the Code Enforcement Official inspects and, if a violation is found, issues a written violation notice giving the owner ten business days to abate; the owner can appeal to the Hearing Authority (the Board of Commissioners or its designee) before that deadline expires. If the owner still fails to abate, the county can enter the property, perform the abatement, and bill the owner within a 30-day payment period; unpaid abatement invoices become a certified charge on the property tax bill and a lien that, under § 94.22(J), cannot exceed $10,000 for property with one or two dwellings or $20,000 for other property. Farming, forestry and agricultural-crop land under I.C. 32-30-6-9 and 32-30-6-11, and Morgan County's own municipal corporations, are excluded under § 94.22(L)(3).