Everett, MA Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

Section 16-29 of the Revised Ordinances, titled Keeping Property Clean, applies to private property of every kind. Subsection (a) makes every owner, agent, occupant or lessee keep exterior private property free of litter, including material trapped at fence and wall bases, grassy and planted areas, borders, embankments and other lodging points. Subsection (d) is the vacant property rule: the owner appoints an agent who holds responsibility for the lot or property. The standard is excess vegetation that traps litter and encourages dumping. The section prints no height in inches or feet, so the test is the effect of the growth, not a measurement.

Section 16-21 defines private property to include yards, grounds, driveways, parking areas, storage areas, vacant lots and recreational facilities. Subsection (b) makes owners and lessees whose property faces municipal sidewalks and strips between street and sidewalk keep them free of litter. Subsection (c) bars sweeping litter into streets and requires sweepings to go into household or commercial solid waste containers. Section 16-30 lets regular police officers, the executive director of City Services and delegates enforce the article, and lets the fire and health departments and the housing authority enforce Section 16-29 where violations create fire or health hazards.

Chapter 13A-62 adds related public nuisance definitions: accumulations of garbage, refuse, rubbish or recyclable waste lasting more than ten consecutive days outside an enclosed structure, breeding places for vermin, unprotected excavations, and abandoned, untitled or unlicensed motor vehicles not stored in a completely enclosed structure.