New Brunswick, NJ Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

New Brunswick adopts the BOCA National Property Maintenance Code/2000 by reference in § 15.08.010 and changes it through the amendments printed in § 15.08.020. The weed rule is PM-303.4 in that text: all premises and exterior property shall be maintained free from weeds or plant growth in excess of eight inches, and all noxious weeds are prohibited. The rule applies to all premises and exterior property in the City of New Brunswick.

The definition is written narrowly. Weeds are all grasses, annual plants and vegetation, other than trees or shrubs, and the definition excludes cultivated flowers and gardens. A lawn that reaches past eight inches is therefore a violation, while a tended flower bed or vegetable garden is outside the rule, and so are trees and shrubs.

A second provision repeats the number for yards. Under PM-308.5(b), grass, weeds or vegetation shall not be permitted to grow or remain on the side, front and rear yards of any occupied or vacant building so as to exceed a height of eight inches. Edible vegetation and vegetation planted for some useful or ornamental purpose is not governed by that article. Article 308 applies as long as a building remains vacant, and on occupancy the other sections of the chapter prevail. Owners of vacant buildings face a stiffer schedule: PM-308.9 sets a fine of $500.00 for a first offense and $1,000.00 for a second or subsequent offense, or imprisonment not to exceed ninety days, or both, and PM-308.8 requires a Notice to Abate before a summons issues.

The general penalty for the Property Maintenance Code is PM-106.2: a fine of not less than $100.00 nor more than $1,000.00, or imprisonment for a term not to exceed 90 days, or both, at the discretion of the court. Each day a violation continues after due notice has been served is a separate offense, and penalties can be collected in a summary proceeding under the Penalty Enforcement Law, N.J.S.A. 2A:58-1 et seq.

Cleanup can also come from the city. Under Chapter 8.24, the health officer can order an owner to remove grass and weeds within ten days after notice, and a city removal becomes a lien on the property added to the taxes.