Spring Hill, TN Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)
Key Facts
- Height figure
- Twelve inches (12”) in IPMC Section 302.4
- Responsible official
- Building Inspector
- Notice period
- Ten days to remedy, extensions at official's judgment
- Fine
- $50.00 plus court costs, each occurrence separate
- Acreage exemption
- Portions 40 feet or more from boundaries on tracts of one acre or more
- Administrative charge
- Not more than $100.00 on each parcel
Summary
In the City of Spring Hill, Tennessee, § 13-102(C) fills in the IPMC Section 302.4 height blank with twelve inches. Section 13-102(E) exempts agricultural crops and pastures, portions of acreage tracts 40 feet or more from boundaries or rights-of-way, and properties with active insurance claims or catastrophic damage. The Building Inspector enforces it.
(C) Insertions. The following sections of the 2006 IPMC are hereby revised: (1) Section 101.1: Insert “City of Spring Hill” for “[NAME OF JURISDICTION]”; and (2) Section 302.4: Insert “Twelve inches (12”)” for “jurisdiction to insert height in inches”. ... (E) Exemptions. The following items are exempt from the 2006 IPMC Section 302.4: (1) Cultivation of plants or cover crops for agricultural purposes including pastures; (2) Those portions of properties lying 40 feet or more from boundary lines or public rights-of-way on tracts of land containing a minimum of one acre; and (3) Those properties under current active damage claims from a licensed insurance carriers or properties sustaining immediate damage caused as a result of catastrophic weather, fire or natural disaster events.
Full Breakdown
The Board of Mayor and Aldermen adopted the 2006 International Property Maintenance Code in § 13-101 and then completed its blanks in § 13-102(C). For Section 302.4, the city inserted “Twelve inches (12”)” where the model text calls for the jurisdiction to insert a height in inches. That figure is the height line for property in the city, and the Building Inspector, named the responsible official in § 13-102(A), is the officer who enforces it. Three exemptions in § 13-102(E) carve out Section 302.4. First, cultivation of plants or cover crops for agricultural purposes, including pastures.
Second, those portions of properties lying 40 feet or more from boundary lines or public rights-of-way on tracts of land containing a minimum of one acre, which means land closer than 40 feet to a boundary line or right-of-way is not covered by that exemption. Third, properties under current active damage claims from a licensed insurance carrier, and properties sustaining immediate damage caused as a result of catastrophic weather, fire or natural disaster events. Enforcement runs through the notice process written into § 13-102(D). Under IPMC Section 106.2, the code official serves a notice of violation that gives the offender ten days to remedy the violation, and the official has authority to grant extensions based on his judgment.
If the notice is not complied with, any action the city takes on the premises is charged against the real estate as a lien. Section 13-105 makes it unlawful to violate or fail to comply with any provision of the Property Maintenance Code as adopted and modified.
Violations & Fines
A violation of the Property Maintenance Code is unlawful under § 13-105 and, as a strict liability offense, carries a fine of fifty dollars ($50.00) plus court costs under IPMC Section 106.4, with each occurrence a separate offense. Costs of city action on the premises become a lien payable with interest at six percent (6%) per annum, and the City Administrator has discretion to add an administrative charge of not more than $100.00 on each parcel.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can grass grow in Spring Hill before it is a violation?
Does the twelve-inch limit apply to a farm or pasture?
What is the acreage exemption in Spring Hill?
How long do I have to cut growth after a notice?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Spring Hill
How Spring Hill compares: Cities with the Strictest Weed and Property Maintenance Rules·Compare Spring Hill to another location·View the Tennessee landscaping rules overview
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