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

Section 30-40(c)(1) of the Nuisance Ordinance, part of the county's Chapter 30 environmental code, sets the eight-inch ceiling on "weeds or plant growth" for every parcel in unincorporated Houston County, tying the limit to the broader "overgrowth" definition in section 30-37 (vegetation that is dead, hazardous, or degrades neighborhood character). The rule defines "weeds" as grasses, annual plants and vegetation other than trees or shrubs, and it carves out cultivated flowers and vegetable gardens so a maintained garden bed never counts against the height cap.

Properties zoned R-AG for agriculture are excused from the eight-inch rule entirely, unless the R-AG parcel lies within a platted subdivision, in which case the height limit still applies. Enforcement runs through the same nuisance chapter: under section 30-40(c)(2), the county can cut noncompliant weeds itself "whenever the county deems necessary and after reasonable notice" and collect the cost from the property owner. Section 30-44 spells out the mechanics: the county must give written notice and 15 days to abate before it can send crews to mow and bill the owner, and unpaid abatement costs can be collected the same way as delinquent ad valorem property tax executions. 00 plus 60 days in jail for a third, with each day of continued violation counted as a separate offense.