Newton County, GA Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Sec. 42-29 makes it unlawful to maintain, cause or permit uncut grass or weeds to grow to a height greater than ten feet above ground on property with a residential dwelling, a commercial establishment, or vacant property intended for such use, but only under circumstances in which the grass or weeds become a breeding place for insects, rodents or reptiles, or constitute a fire hazard. Newton County's own text sets that trigger height at ten feet, a much taller threshold than the inch-based limits many neighboring cities use, and ties the violation to the pest or fire risk rather than height alone.

The definitions in Sec. 42-23 describe weeds as vegetative growth including kudzu, poison ivy, jimsonweed, burdock, ragweed, thistle, cocklebur, dandelion and plants of obnoxious odors or other similar unsightly vegetative growths, while specifically excluding cultivated flowers, fruits, vegetables and gardens from the definition. The section carves out four exceptions: agriculturally zoned property, property used for agricultural purposes, county-designated green space on residentially zoned property, and areas of residentially zoned property left in their natural, undisturbed state. Because Sec. 42-29 sits in Article II, Property Maintenance, alongside the outdoor storage, tree-clearance and rat-infestation sections, it is enforced through the same code enforcement citation process rather than a separate mowing ordinance.