West New York, NJ Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Chapter 409 of the Code of the Town of West New York was adopted by the Board of Commissioners on 9-15-1954 by Ord. No. 778. Section 409-1 establishes a code declaring ragweed and poison ivy to be a nuisance, providing for their removal or abatement, and providing for recovery of the expenses the Board of Commissioners incurs in removing or abating the nuisance. The code itself is annexed to the ordinance rather than printed in it, and § 409-2 gives its name as the Weed Control Code of New Jersey (1953). Under § 409-3, three copies sit on file in the office of the Health Officer for public use and examination, so that office is where a resident reads the full rules.

The second rule sits in the property maintenance chapter. Section 299-3A requires all owners and managers of property to keep it clear and clean and to remove litter, refuse, junk, unreasonable growth of weeds and brush, and all trash, rubbish, debris and waste on the property or its abutting sidewalk. Section 299-1A defines the covered property as all residential single and multifamily, commercial and vacant land in West New York. The duty runs to the lot and to the sidewalk in front of it.

The Town does not turn unreasonable growth into a number. Chapters 409 and 299 print no height in inches or feet for grass or weeds, so the standard is the word unreasonable, applied by the enforcing officials. Section 299-5 also adopts the International Property Maintenance Code 2015 for the maintenance of all buildings and structures in the Town, administered by the Building Department. Littering on a vacant lot is a separate offense under § 242-13, which bars throwing or depositing litter on any open or vacant public or private property.