Washington, DC Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Section 302.4 of Title 12-G of the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations, the Property Maintenance Code Supplement of 2017, strikes the weed section of the International Property Maintenance Code in its entirety and inserts the District's own text. It requires that all premises and exterior property be maintained free from weeds or plant growth in excess of 8 inches (203 mm), and it states that all noxious weeds shall be prohibited. Weeds are defined as all grasses, annual plants and vegetation other than trees or shrubs, and the definition does not include cultivated flowers and gardens. The rulemaking was published at 67 DCR 6173 on May 29, 2020.

Section 302.4.1 prohibits certain vegetative growth regardless of height: growth that is untended; shrubbery that is a detriment to the health, safety, or welfare of the public; growth that creates a harbor or concealment, including hiding places for persons and for refuse or trash; growth that harbors, or provides a refuge for, snakes, rodents, or other vermin, including rats and mice; growth that creates an unpleasant or noxious odor; growth that constitutes a fire hazard; growth that creates a breeding place for mosquitoes; and growth that is dead or diseased. Two exceptions are printed. The first covers weeds, grasses, or other vegetation planted for agricultural use, if located at least 150 feet (45.72 m) from property zoned for nonagricultural use. The second reads: "Healthy plants, grasses, or shrubbery intended grounds, gardens, or landscape designed yards, which exceed 8 inches (203 mm) in height."

D.C. Code § 8-301, in Title 8, Chapter 3 (Weeds and Plant Diseases), is a separate provision with its own figures. It makes it the duty of the owner, occupant, or agent in charge of any land in the City of Washington, or in the more densely populated suburbs of that City, to remove weeds of 4 or more inches in height within 7 days (Sundays and legal holidays excepted) after notice from the Director of the Department of Human Services. On conviction for failing to comply with that notice, the penalty is a fine of not more than $10 for each day the notice is not complied with. Civil fines, penalties, and fees can be imposed as alternative sanctions, and adjudication of any infraction of the section follows Chapter 18 of Title 2.