Chatham County Code §21-503 applies the property-maintenance rules to all residential and abutting zones. For large lots, undeveloped land, natural forest, and agricultural land, owners must maintain a five-foot-wide cleared strip at the property line within 150 feet of any building.
Section 21-503 (Applicability) of the Code of Chatham County states the Property Maintenance Ordinance is effective in all residential zoned properties and zones abutting residential zones. It does not require a whole undeveloped parcel to be cleared: portions of large lots, undeveloped land, natural forest areas, and agricultural land within 150 feet of any building must maintain a five-foot-wide strip at the abutting property line. The same ordinance's overgrowth (18-inch) and debris rules (§21-502) then apply to those maintained areas. There is no separate vacant-lot registration program in county code; enforcement is complaint-driven through Building Safety & Regulatory Services. City lots follow municipal codes.
Failure to abate within ten days of notice lets the county clear the lot and bill the owner (§21-506); unpaid costs become a lien on the property (§21-508), and fines reach $500 (§21-509).
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See how Chatham County's vacant lot maintenance rules stack up against other locations.
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