Abington, PA Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

Section 108-12.A of the Township Code applies the weeds nuisance rule to every lot regardless of use: owners of property in Abington Township, 'whether such property is occupied or vacant,' must keep it 'reasonably free of weeds, invasive honeysuckle vines, underbrush, cans, bottles or any other refuse or debris' that could harbor rats or otherwise threaten public health and safety, and must keep the grass cut, including in the sidewalk strip adjoining the property. Section 108-12.B gives owners 10 days from written Township notice to correct a violation.

This differs from the Chapter 98 Property Maintenance height amendment, which targets improved lots under the adopted IPMC; Section 108-12 is the standing nuisance rule that reaches undeveloped, unimproved parcels the IPMC's building-focused provisions would not otherwise cover. An investor holding a vacant lot in the township for future development still has to mow it and clear debris, or face the same 10-day correction notice as an occupied home. The section was last amended October 9, 2014 by Ordinance No. 2055, which folded the bamboo restrictions into the same section as Subsection C.