Bloomington, IL Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

Bloomington City Code Chapter 21, Article VIII, ties its weed and vegetation nuisance rules to any lot or tract of land in the City, not merely occupied or improved parcels. Section 21-802 declares jimson, burdock, ragweed, thistle, cocklebur and similar weeds a nuisance wherever found growing on any lot or tract of land in the City, expressly including weeds that occur in association with agricultural crops such as corn, soybeans, wheat and hay, a category most relevant to unimproved or farmed vacant land inside city limits.

Section 21-803 separately declares dead, overgrown or improperly maintained vegetation, or the waste of such vegetation left on any real estate, a nuisance affecting health, safety, welfare and property value, again without limiting the rule to improved lots. Section 21-804's eight-inch grass and plant height cap applies anywhere in the City. Owners of vacant land bear the same strict, no-knowledge-required duty as owners of built lots. Enforcement follows § 21-811: the Economic & Community Development or Public Works Director notifies the owner in writing (or by posting, if the owner cannot be located after reasonable inquiry) to cut or remove the growth by a stated date; a missed deadline lets the City abate the nuisance, and the cost plus an administrative fee under the Schedule of Fees becomes a lien on the vacant parcel, collectible through Circuit Court foreclosure under §§ 21-903 and 21-904.