Farmersville, TX Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

Farmersville Code of Ordinances § 14-307(5), the Grass Standards subsection of the Minimum Building and Property Standards article, makes it unlawful for any person owning or occupying any real property within the corporate limits to permit grass or other combustible material to grow taller than 12 inches, and grass over that height is presumed a fire hazard and a nuisance. This duty applies to owners of vacant, unimproved land exactly as it applies to occupied property, since the subsection is not limited to structures. For grass over 48 inches that is an immediate danger to health, life, or safety, the city may abate it without notice, but must then notify the property owner within 10 days, describing the property, the violation, that the city abated the grass, and the owner's right to request a hearing before the Building and Property Standards Commission.

A written hearing request must be filed within 30 days of the abatement, and the Commission must hold that hearing within 20 days of the request, where the owner may testify and present witnesses. Expenses the city incurs abating the grass may be assessed as a lien against the property under Section 14-313(f)'s lien procedures, which run with the land and are recorded with the county clerk.