Springfield, OH Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Springfield Codified Ordinances Section 909.01, Weeds Declared Nuisances; Prohibition, defines 'rank vegetation' as weeds, grasses and annual plants, other than trees or shrubs, that have grown to a length exceeding 10 inches from the ground, and declares that condition a prohibited nuisance on any land in the City. Section 909.02(a) puts the cutting duty on the owner, occupant, or person in charge of any parcel of 4 acres or less, whether improved, unimproved, vacant or occupied, requiring them to cut and destroy or remove the weeds and rank vegetation before it blooms or goes to seed, and it sets a specific mowing standard: after cutting, the remaining stubble cannot exceed 4 inches above ground level.

The duty extends to vegetation growing between the property line and the center line of an abutting street, not just the platted lot itself. Section 909.04 lets the Code Enforcement Manager give written notice of a violation, but notice is not a precondition to enforcement, and no more than one notice per calendar year is required for the same parcel. If an owner does not comply, Section 909.03 authorizes the City to cut the vegetation itself and collect the cost, plus service and equipment charges, through legal process. Stormwater plantings approved under Chapters 918 or 961 are excepted from the weed definition under Section 909.01(d).