Everett, WA Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Grass limit
- 12 inches maximum
- Other vegetation limit
- 42 inches (excl. flower beds)
- Applies to
- all property, including vacant lots
- Trigger
- visible from street, alley, or neighbor
- Enforcement
- Chapter 1.20 EMC code enforcement
Summary
Everett bars grass over twelve inches and non-flowerbed vegetation over forty-two inches on any property, including vacant lots, when it's visible from a street, alley, or neighboring property.
...no person owning, leasing, renting, occupying or having charge or possession of any property in the city, including vacant lots, shall maintain or allow to be maintained on the property ... any of the following conditions visible from any street, alley, or other public or private property: ... E. Dead, decayed, diseased, noxious or hazardous trees or vegetation, or any vegetation (not including vegetation located in flower beds) taller than forty-two inches high or grass taller than twelve inches in height;
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 4194-26, passed July 29, 2026).
Full Breakdown
EMC 8.20.020 makes overgrown vegetation a nuisance on any property in the city, expressly including vacant lots, when it's visible from a street, alley, or other public or private property. The limits are numeric: grass can't top twelve inches, and vegetation outside flower beds can't exceed forty-two inches, while dead, decayed, diseased, noxious, or hazardous trees and vegetation are barred outright regardless of height. The same section also targets junk, discarded furniture, vehicle parts, and other rubbish left in view outside an enclosed structure. Owners, lessees, tenants, and anyone in possession or control of the property are on the hook, and enforcement runs through Chapter 1.20 EMC per EMC 8.20.025.
Violations & Fines
Handled through Chapter 1.20 EMC's general code enforcement process (EMC 8.20.025): the city can issue a notice of violation and pursue civil penalties; the section itself sets no fixed dollar fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can grass get on a vacant lot in Everett?
Are dead trees on an empty lot a violation in Everett?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Everett
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Vacant Lot Maintenance in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Snohomish County handle vacant lot maintenance.