Albemarle County, VA Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Coverage zone
- Within 75 feet of ROW or neighboring lot
- Height limit
- 12 inches
- Interior of large tracts
- Not covered by this rule
- County cutting fee
- $100.00 administrative charge
- Rural Areas/farmland
- Exempt under § 7-503
Summary
On undeveloped land within 75 feet of a public right-of-way or a neighboring developed lot, Albemarle County caps grass, weeds and brush at 12 inches under County Code § 7-502(A)(2). The rest of an undeveloped parcel, beyond that 75-foot band, is not covered by the height limit.
the owner of any vacant developed or undeveloped property, including property upon which buildings or other improvements are located, must not permit any grass, weeds, brush, or other uncontrolled vegetation in excess of 12 inches in height to remain thereon, where the vegetation is located: ... 2.Undeveloped property. On that portion of any undeveloped property that is within 75 feet of any public right-of-way or developed property under separate ownership.
Full Breakdown
County Code § 7-502(A) prohibits uncontrolled vegetation over 12 inches, but the rule reaches undeveloped property only in a defined strip: subsection (A)(2), "Undeveloped property," applies on that portion of any undeveloped property that is within 75 feet of any public right-of-way or developed property under separate ownership. Section 7-501 defines "undeveloped" as any real property that remains unimproved, so raw or unbuilt land in the county outside Charlottesville and Scottsville is only subject to the mowing requirement near a road or near a neighbor's improved lot; the interior of a large undeveloped tract is not reached by this nuisance provision at all.
00 administrative handling charge that becomes a lien on the property under § 7-508 if unpaid. Section 7-503 exempts several categories of undeveloped land outright regardless of the 75-foot rule, including pastureland, land under cultivation, forested land, land within utility transmission easements, stream buffers protected by a conservation easement, and land within the Rural Areas zoning district or the Monticello Historic zoning district, which removes most working farmland from the 75-foot standard even where it borders a road.
Violations & Fines
The same civil penalty schedule in § 7-509 applies to undeveloped-property violations: $50.00 for a first violation or violations from the same facts, $200.00 for a later unrelated violation within 12 months, with each day of continuing violation counted separately up to a $3,000.00 annual cap. Three civil penalties for the same or similar violation within 24 months converts each further violation into a class 3 misdemeanor under § 7-510, and unpaid county cutting costs become a real-estate-tax-style lien under § 7-508.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Albemarle County require me to mow my whole vacant undeveloped lot?
My undeveloped land is zoned Rural Areas. Does the 75-foot rule still apply?
What can the county do if I ignore a mowing notice on my undeveloped lot?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Albemarle County
Compare Albemarle County to another location·View the Virginia property maintenance overview
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