Scranton, PA Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)
Key Facts
- Height limit
- 8 inches for weeds and rank grass
- Enforcing officer
- Director of Health
- Cure period
- 10 days after written notice
- Nonresident notice
- by registered mail or newspaper publication
- Cost recovery
- lien filed by City Solicitor
Summary
Scranton caps weeds and grass at eight inches on any lot in the city under Code § 434-25. Canada thistle, ragweed, burdock and similarly rank, foul-smelling growth over that height is declared a public nuisance. The Director of Health can order an owner to cut it within 10 days, and the city will do the work and bill the owner if the notice is ignored.
The word "weeds," as used in this Article, is defined to include all Canada thistles, ragweed, burdocks, any senecio species and all rank vegetable growth which exhale unpleasant and noxious odors and also high and rank vegetable growth that may conceal filthy deposits. ... It shall be unlawful for any person owning or holding real estate to allow or maintain on any lot within the corporate limits of the city, any growth of weeds, ragweed and other noxious weeds, to a height of over eight (8) inches, or which constitutes a traffic hazard growing on an adjacent street up to the curbline, and such growth of weeds is hereby declared to be a nuisance, injurious to public interests and public health. All grass, hedges, vines, shrubs and brush should be reasonably cut or trimmed and the trimmings or clippings removed therefrom.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4719898; v25 updated 2025-12-16; through 12-16-2025).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 434-24 defines 'weeds' broadly to include Canada thistles, ragweed, burdocks, senecio species and any rank vegetable growth that gives off unpleasant or noxious odors or is tall and rank enough to hide filthy deposits. Section 434-25 then makes it unlawful for an owner to let that growth exceed eight inches anywhere on a lot within the city, or to let weeds growing on the adjacent street grow up to the curbline in a way that creates a traffic hazard; grass, hedges, vines, shrubs and brush also have to be reasonably cut or trimmed with the clippings removed.
Once the Director of Health finds noxious weeds growing on a property and concludes they are about to spread or go to seed, § 434-26 requires written notice to the owner, lessee, agent or tenant giving 10 days to cut, remove and destroy the growth; a nonresident owner gets the notice by registered mail, and if the owner's address is unknown the city can instead publish notice once in a newspaper of general circulation. If the deadline passes without action, § 434-27 lets the Director of Public Safety direct the Director of Public Works to send crews to cut and destroy the weeds, hiring outside labor if needed.
Section 434-28 then turns the city's cost of that cleanup into a lien against the property, filed by the City Solicitor, or the city can simply collect the expense as an ordinary debt.
Violations & Fines
Ignoring a 10-day cutting notice is a violation of § 434-29, punishable before a magisterial district judge under the general penalty schedule at § 1-16. Beyond the fine, the city can recover its cleanup cost either as a lien against the property under § 434-28 or by collecting it the way it would collect any other debt owed to the city.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can grass or weeds legally grow in Scranton?
Who enforces the weed ordinance and how much notice do I get?
What happens if I don't cut the weeds after getting a notice?
Which plants count as 'weeds' under Scranton's ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Scranton
How Scranton compares: Cities with the Strictest Weed and Property Maintenance Rules·Compare Scranton to another location·View the Pennsylvania landscaping rules overview
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