Taylor, MI Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Section 20-147 of the Taylor City Code defines high weeds as grass and weeds over eight inches in total height measured from the ground, weeds at seed-bearing age, or weeds at any height considered a nuisance. Section 20-148 puts an affirmative duty on every owner, occupant or person in control of premises, including the gutters, drainage ditches, culverts and adjoining public property between the street centerline and alley centerline, to keep the property free of noxious and high weeds at all times. The director of the ordinance department serves written notice, or posts it on the property and at City Hall, giving the owner ten days to remove the weeds before the city enters and cuts them at the owner's expense, secured by a lien if unpaid.

Section 20-149 lets the city instead publish a general notice each March that uncut weeds will be cut by April 1 and billed. Penalties escalate under sections 20-148(c), 20-149(c) and 20-150(c): a $150.00 civil fine for a first offense, $250.00 to $500.00 for a second, and $500.00 to $1,000.00 for each additional offense, capped at $1,000.00, plus costs; an unpaid fine becomes a property lien after 45 days. Railroads face separate treatment: failure to clear a right-of-way is a misdemeanor under section 20-151 rather than a civil infraction.