Royal Oak, MI Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Section 302.4 of the International Property Maintenance Code, as amended by § 556-4R of the City Code, requires that all premises and exterior property be maintained free from plant growth in excess of eight inches, excluding trees, shrubs, cultivated flowers, gardens and planned natural landscaping recognized under the surrounding subsections. A property that exceeds the eight-inch limit is subject to a notice of violation and prosecution under Section 106.3 of the Property Maintenance Code; if the owner or agent still fails to comply, any City employee or a contractor hired by the City may enter the property, bring it into compliance, and bill the owner or agent for the cost.

Separately, Chapter 757, Weeds, targets noxious species by name, Canada thistle, dodder, mustard, wild carrot, bindweed, sowthistle, hoary alyssum, ragweed, poison ivy and poison sumac among them, under § 757-2. Section 757-3 makes it the duty of every landowner to destroy noxious weeds before they go to seed, and the City's Commissioner of Noxious Weeds sends certified notice giving the owner, agent or occupant 10 days to cut or destroy the weeds. If the owner ignores the notice, the Commissioner may enter the land, destroy the weeds, and place a lien against the property for the cost, enforced the same way as a mechanic's lien.

Under § 757-6, the City may instead publish an annual March newspaper notice warning that weeds or tall grass not cut by June 1 will be cut by the Commissioner at the owner's expense.