Bellevue, NE Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Duty holder
- Owner, agent, tenant or occupant of the lot
- Trigger height
- 12 inches of weeds or grass
- Also covers
- Strip between property line and curb
- Cost recovery
- City can bill owner or lien the lot
- Governing section
- Bellevue Code of Ordinances § 19-19
- Backup penalty
- Up to $500 fine or 6 months jail
Summary
In the City of Bellevue, Nebraska, § 19-19 of the Bellevue Code of Ordinances places an affirmative duty on every owner, agent, tenant or occupant of any lot, improved or not, to cut noxious weeds, grass and worthless vegetation down once it reaches 12 inches and keep it there, including the strip between the property line and the curb.
It shall be the duty of each and every owner, agent, occupant, tenant or person in possession, charge or control of any lot or ground, or any part of any lot or ground located within the city's zoning jurisdiction to cut or clear from such lot or ground, together with that area between the property line and the curbed, paved or traveled roadway line, noxious weeds and grass or worthless vegetation which has reached a height of 12 inches or more. Such noxious weeds and/or grass or worthless vegetation which has reached a height of 12 inches or more shall be cut as close to ground level as reasonably possible and shall be maintained so that at any time the same does not exceed 12 inches or more above the ground. The cuttings shall be raked and removed from such lot or ground.
Full Breakdown
The duty in § 19-19 applies to 'any lot or ground, or any part of any lot or ground located within the city's zoning jurisdiction,' language that reaches vacant, unimproved parcels the same as built lots; there is no carve-out for land without a structure on it. Owners must cut noxious weeds and worthless vegetation as close to ground level as reasonably possible, keep it from exceeding 12 inches at any time, and rake and remove the cuttings rather than leave them in place, per the same section.
The duty extends past the lot line itself to the area between the property line and the curbed, paved or traveled roadway, so an owner of a vacant lot bordering a Bellevue street is also responsible for that frontage strip. Section 19-17 separately declares any lot in this condition a public nuisance, and §§ 19-21 through 19-23 give the city authority to send an Official Notice, hold a hearing on request, and then cut the growth itself and bill the owner for labor, equipment and disposal if the duty is not met.
Unpaid costs can be assessed against the vacant lot like a special property tax under § 19-22, which follows the parcel rather than a particular owner. Article II does not set a distinct fine for a violation of the duty itself, so the Code's general penalty in § 1-11, up to $500 or six months in jail, applies to a knowing failure to comply.
Violations & Fines
Missing the duty in § 19-19 exposes the owner to the city cutting the vacant lot and billing for labor, equipment and disposal under § 19-21, with unpaid costs assessed against the property like a special tax or pursued as a civil judgment with interest under § 19-22. A knowing failure to perform the duty can also draw the Code's general penalty of up to $500 or six months in jail under § 1-11.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the weed-cutting duty apply to a vacant lot with no building on it?
What area of a vacant lot has to be maintained?
What can Bellevue do if a vacant lot owner never cuts the weeds?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bellevue
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