Youngstown, OH Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Chapter 1749, "Weeds, Trees and Shrubs," of the Youngstown Codified Ordinances makes it unlawful for grass, weeds or other plants (thistles, jimsonweed, burdock, ragweed, cocklebur and similar growth, excluding trees, bushes, flowers and cultivated ornamentals) to exceed eight inches in height on any lot, parcel or tract within the City of Youngstown, Ohio (Section 1749.01(a)). Section 1749.02 places the duty to cut squarely on whoever has charge of the land, whether owner, lessee, agent, tenant or business entity, and lets the City post a warning notice in at least twelve-point type or go straight to a citation at its discretion.

Because Section 1749.05 makes the chapter a strict-liability offense, lack of knowledge or intent is not a defense. If the violation is not corrected, Section 1749.03 lets the City or its contractor cut the grass and weeds and keep maintaining the lot for the rest of the growing season, defined as April 1 through October 31. Section 1749.04 then bills the owner a minimum service charge of $150 per occurrence for a residential lot (dropping to $100 for each additional contiguous parcel the same owner holds) and $1,000 per occurrence for a commercial lot ($500 for each additional contiguous parcel).

Unpaid costs can be certified to the Mahoning County Auditor and placed on the property's tax duplicate as a lien, or collected through a civil suit, under Section 1749.04(c). Section 1749.99 makes a violation of any provision of the chapter a third-degree misdemeanor, with each day a separate offense. Enforcement runs through the City's Building Inspection/Code Enforcement Department, which can enter the property directly to abate the nuisance under Section 1749.02(c) without prior notice once a violation is established.