Dearborn, MI Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Max vegetation height
- 6 inches before violation
- City cutting cost
- $150 per invoice
- Repeat-offender surcharge
- $100 additional fee
- First-offense fine
- $100 civil infraction
- Repeat-offense penalty
- Misdemeanor, $500 minimum fine
Summary
Owners of unimproved (vacant) lots in Dearborn must cut weeds and vegetation before it reaches six inches or goes to seed under City Code § 13-207; the city bills $150 per cutting plus a repeat-offender surcharge.
It is hereby made the duty of the owner of unimproved land, or any person having charge of any unimproved lands within the limits of the city upon which vegetation is growing or standing, to cut and destroy or cause to be cut and destroyed all such vegetation growing or standing on such premises as often as may be necessary to prevent them going to seed and/or reaching a height of six inches or more. If any owner of unimproved land or any person having charge of unimproved lands in this city shall knowingly allow or permit any vegetation to grow upon such lands or shall allow or permit the vegetation to ripen so as to cause or endanger the spread thereof, he/she shall, upon conviction in any court of competent jurisdiction, be liable to the penalty imposed in this article for the violation thereof. (Ord. No. 81-92, § 2, 11-4-81; Ord. No. 03-945, 3-4-03; Ord. No. 06-1076, 5-15-
06)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-07: Code: Updated through: July 22, 2026 | Zoning: Updated through: July 22, 2026).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 13-207 makes it the duty of any owner or person in charge of unimproved land within Dearborn to cut and destroy vegetation growing on the property as often as needed to prevent it going to seed or reaching six inches. The Director of Public Works publishes an annual notice each March; if an owner ignores it, city crews cut the lot and bill $150 per invoice under § 13-208, plus a $100 surcharge for a second violation in the same calendar year (waivable once for good cause). Violators also face civil-infraction and misdemeanor penalties under § 13-210.
Violations & Fines
First offense: $100 civil infraction. Second and later offenses in the same calendar year: misdemeanor with a mandatory minimum $500 fine, plus city cutting costs of $150 per invoice and a $100 repeat-offender surcharge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this apply to occupied homes too?
Who enforces vacant lot weed cutting in Dearborn?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dearborn
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Vacant Lot Maintenance in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Wayne County handle vacant lot maintenance.