Blaine, MN Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies to
- business & industrial zoning districts
- Requirement
- vacant lots free of litter and junk
- Repeated in
- Secs. 113-65, 113-102, 113-132, 121-24
- Landscaped yard minimum width
- 10 feet
- General penalty (Sec. 1-7)
- up to $1,000, 90 days
- Continuing violation
- each day a separate offense
Summary
In the City of Blaine's business and industrial zoning districts, Section 113-24(c) requires every vacant lot or portion of a lot to be maintained in an orderly manner, free of litter and junk, the same landscaping duty that makes commercial property owners keep their lawns, shrubs and trees maintained. The identical standard repeats in Sections 113-65, 113-102, 113-132 and 121-24 for the city's other business and industrial districts.
(a)All open areas of any lot not used for parking, driveways, or storage shall be landscaped with trees, shrubs, berms, and planted ground covers.(b)It shall be the owner's responsibility to see that the landscaping is maintained in an attractive and well maintained condition. The owner shall also replace any dead or damaged trees or shrubs with a similar species. Any dead or damaged sod shall also be replaced.(c)All vacant lots or portions of lots shall be maintained in an orderly manner, free of litter and junk.(d)All lots in this district shall provide a landscaped yard. This yard shall be kept clear of all structures, storage and off-street parking.
Full Breakdown
Section 113-24 sets the landscaping standard for Blaine's Neighborhood Business (B-1) zone, and subsection (c)'s vacant-lot rule is one piece of a broader maintenance package: subsection (a) requires every open area not used for parking, driveways or storage to be landscaped with trees, shrubs, berms and ground cover; subsection (b) makes the owner responsible for keeping that landscaping attractive and replacing dead or damaged trees, shrubs and sod; and subsection (d) requires a landscaped yard at least ten feet wide, kept clear of structures, storage and parking except for driveways.
Subsection (c) is short and direct: all vacant lots or portions of lots must be maintained in an orderly manner, free of litter and junk. The identical sentence is repeated word for word in section 113-65 for the General Business (B-2) zone, section 113-102 for the Highway Business (B-3) zone, section 113-132 for the Regional Business (B-4) zone, and section 121-24 for the city's industrial district, so the standard effectively covers every vacant commercial and industrial parcel in Blaine. The zoning chapter doesn't carry its own fine for this section, so a violation is enforced through the Code's general penalty in section 1-7.
A vacant lot zoned for residential use isn't reached by section 113-24 at all; its overgrown vegetation instead falls under the separate weeds and tall grass nuisance ordinance in section 90-22.
Violations & Fines
Section 113-24 doesn't set its own fine for a business-zoned vacant lot left littered with junk; it's enforced like any other zoning violation through the Code's general penalty in Section 1-7, up to a $1,000 fine, 90 days' imprisonment, or both, and because the condition is continuous, every day it persists counts as a separate offense that the city can also stop through injunctive relief as a public nuisance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Blaine require an empty commercial lot to be kept clean?
What's the penalty for a junky vacant business lot in Blaine?
Does the litter-free vacant lot rule apply to residential vacant lots in Blaine too?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Blaine
Compare Blaine to another location·View the Minnesota property maintenance overview
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