Arvada, CO Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

C. 4 to require that "all premises and exterior property shall be maintained free from weeds or dead plant growth in excess of 12 inches," with noxious weeds prohibited outright regardless of height. 1 makes it unlawful for any owner, agent, or resident having charge of a property, developed or vacant, to permit weeds or noxious weeds to grow. 2 separately bars ornamental grasses citywide except in A-1 or R-CE zoning districts, though small ornamental plots may be cultivated as part of a landscaping plan elsewhere so long as they are not used as ground cover over a substantial portion of the lot.

3 requires that any removal of noxious weeds be performed in a manner that minimizes their reproduction. Because the standard applies to "all premises," it reaches vacant and unimproved lots the same as occupied residential or commercial property; there is no vacant-lot carve-out or exemption. Enforcement runs through the notice-and-abatement process for weeds and noxious weeds set out in article V of chapter 38, Environment, as cross-referenced by Section 18-472(3), which governs how notice to determine, abate, or remove weeds is served and how proceedings are conducted. Violations of the property maintenance code are punishable under the citywide general penalty in Section 1-5 rather than a chapter-specific fine.