Plainfield, NJ Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Article 2 of Chapter 15 of the Plainfield Municipal Code is the City's weed and brush rule, and it works through written notice rather than a height measurement. The article prints no inch or foot limit for grass or weeds. Section 15:2-1 requires the owners, occupants or tenants of lands in the City of Plainfield to remove and destroy all brush, weeds, including ragweed, dead and dying trees, stumps, roots, obnoxious growths, filth, garbage, trash and debris within ten days after notice to remove, and the notice must be in writing.

Section 15:2-2 puts the judgment call with the Director of Public Affairs and Safety or a designee, who decides whether the article has been violated in the preservation of health, safety and general welfare, or to eliminate a fire hazard. If the owner, occupant or tenant cannot be served personally, Section 15:2-3 allows the notice to go by registered mail to the last known address and to be posted on the premises, and the ten days run from the mailing and posting.

If the work is not done, Section 15:2-4 lets the City remove or destroy the listed items, and in cases of extreme danger to persons or property the City can require immediate compliance. Section 15:2-5 then bills the owner: the cost is certified to the Collector of Taxes, charged against the lands once approved by the City Administrator and signed by the Mayor, and becomes a lien added to the next taxes with interest at the same rate as taxes. Those charges sit in addition to the penalty in Section 15:2-6.

Weeds on the sidewalk follow a faster track. Section 13:2-10 keeps sidewalk space free from long grass, weeds and shrubs, and the Department of Public Works removes them when the abutting owner or occupant has not done so within three days after notice.