West Bloomfield, MI Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Sec. 23-14 defines 'noxious weeds' to include Canada thistle, dodders, mustards, wild carrot, bindweed, perennial sowthistle, hoary alyssum, giant hogweed, ragweed, poison ivy and poison sumac, and separately defines any lawn grass grown as ground cover that reaches eight inches as regulated turf, while expressly excluding milkweed from the noxious list. Sec. 23-15(a) requires noxious and poisonous weeds to be removed before they go to seed and before May 1 each year, consistent with the state Noxious Weeds Act, MCL 247.61 et seq. Separately, subsection (b) makes it unlawful for any owner or occupant to let lawn grass or weeds reach eight inches anywhere on the property, and subsection (c)(i) requires residential and commercial property owners to cut by May 1 and keep cutting all season so the growth never exceeds eight inches at any time.

If an owner ignores a violation, Sec. 23-16 requires the township to mail or post a five-day notice; if that notice isn't followed, the township can enter the property, cut the grass as many times as needed, and bill the owner, or issue a civil infraction carrying at least a $100 fine plus costs, with each day of the violation a separate offense. The township appoints a commissioner of weeds under Sec. 23-18, and the clerk publishes a March newspaper notice each year warning that uncut lawns will be mowed at the owner's expense, with unpaid invoices after 30 days added to the property's tax bill under Sec. 23-17.