Vineland, NJ Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Chapter 247 was adopted October 24, 2006 by Ordinance No. 2006-89, replacing the old Brush, Grass and Weeds chapter of the 1990 Code. Section 247-1, citing N.J.S.A. 40:48-2.26 and 40:48-2.27, requires every owner or tenant of land in the City of Vineland to keep brush, hedges and other plant life within 10 feet of any roadway, and within 25 feet of the intersection of two roadways, cut to no more than two and a half feet, wherever necessary for public safety, addressing sight-line hazards at driveways and corners rather than a blanket lawn-height rule.

If an owner ignores the standard, § 247-1B lets the Director of Licenses and Inspections, Public Safety, Public Works or Health issue a notice giving 10 days to comply; under Subsection C the City can then cut and remove the growth itself and certify the cost to the City Council, which becomes a lien on the property collected the same way as property taxes, with interest. Penalties escalate under § 247-6: a first offense is a $100 fine, a second offense runs $500 to $1,500, and a third or subsequent offense runs $1,500 to $2,000, with each additional day of the violation counted as a separate offense.

The fee schedule in § 247-7 also lets the City recover its own labor costs, billing $50 to $70 an hour depending on whether the crew uses a weed whacker, push mower, riding mower or tractor mower. Because the trigger is proximity to a roadway or intersection rather than lot type, this section reaches both improved residential yards and unimproved parcels whose overgrowth blocks sight lines.