Brookhaven, GA Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Debris time limit
- Seven calendar days when visible from street, alley or neighbor
- Vegetation standard
- No weeds or growth harboring vermin or blocking sidewalks and hydrants
- Firewood exception
- Stacked firewood for premises use in side or rear yards
- Invasive plants
- Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council list governs
- Maximum fine
- $1,000.00 or six months in jail, or both
Summary
In the City of Brookhaven, Georgia, Sec. 16-193 bars dead or hazardous trees, shrubs, ground cover and weeds that harbor vermin or insects, block sidewalks, paths, trails and streets, hide traffic-control signs and fire hydrants, or risk injury. Junk, tires, scrap metal and similar debris visible from a street or neighbor cannot stay more than seven calendar days.
(a)Vegetation. There shall be no dead or hazardous trees, shrubs, ground cover or weeds likely to harbor vermin or insects, restrict or impede access to or public use of adjacent sidewalks, paths, trails and streets, obstruct traffic-control signs and devices and fire hydrants, or pose a risk of physical injury to the public.(b)Debris. There shall not be maintained on a property for more than seven calendar days any used or damaged lumber, junk, trash, debris, scrap metal, concrete, sand, asphalt, cans, bottles, tires, salvage materials, boxes, containers, bins, and abandoned, discarded, inoperative or unusable furniture, stove, refrigerator, freezer, sink, toilet, cabinet or other household fixtures, yard waste or equipment stored so as to be visible from public street, alley or from an adjoining property unless appropriate permits have been obtained from the county.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 16-193 is written for a property, with no requirement that a building stand on it. Sec. 16-122, the 12 inch grass and weed rule, speaks only of improved or previously improved property, so Sec. 16-193 is the vegetation section that carries no such qualifier.
Subsection (a) covers vegetation. There shall be no dead or hazardous trees, shrubs, ground cover or weeds likely to harbor vermin or insects, restrict or impede access to or public use of adjacent sidewalks, paths, trails and streets, obstruct traffic-control signs and devices and fire hydrants, or pose a risk of physical injury to the public.
Subsection (b) covers debris. Used or damaged lumber, junk, trash, scrap metal, concrete, sand, asphalt, cans, bottles, tires, salvage materials, boxes, containers, bins, abandoned or inoperative furniture, stoves, refrigerators, freezers, sinks, toilets, cabinets and other household fixtures, yard waste and equipment cannot be maintained on a property for more than seven calendar days if stored so as to be visible from a public street, alley or an adjoining property, unless appropriate permits have been obtained from the county. Stacked firewood for use on the premises is allowed in side or rear yards.
Subsection (c) makes owners and tenants jointly and severally responsible for keeping shared open parking areas free of garbage and trash. Subsection (d) requires invasive plant species to be maintained so that damage to existing trees and encroachment onto adjacent properties is prevented, using the Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council list, which names English Ivy, Chinese Wisteria, Kudzu, Tree of Heaven, all Privet species and all Bamboo species other than River Cane and Switch Cane.
Sec. 16-208 separately makes the owner and the occupant each independently responsible for keeping the premises clean of garbage, refuse, filth, dirt, ashes, trash and rubbish.
Violations & Fines
A violation is prosecuted under Sec. 1-11(c) by summons or citation: a fine not exceeding $1,000.00 or jail not to exceed six months, or both, and each day a continuing violation lasts is a separate offense. Under Sec. 1-11(d), an unpaid fine bars the city from accepting or issuing permits and other applications tied to that person or the land where the violation exists.
Frequently Asked Questions
What vegetation is prohibited on a lot in the City of Brookhaven, Georgia?
How long can junk or debris sit on a Brookhaven property?
Can I keep firewood on my lot?
Which plants count as invasive in Brookhaven?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Brookhaven
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