Fitchburg, WI Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Mowing frequency
- At least 3 times per year
- Height limit
- 6 inches
- Trigger height
- 24 inches forces a mow
- Hazard order deadline
- 5 days to comply
- Ordering officials
- Building inspector or fire chief
Summary
Fitchburg, Wisconsin requires unimproved and vacant lots in the urban service area to be mowed at least three times a year to no more than six inches. City Code Sec. 37-70 sets seasonal mowing windows and lets officials order emergency mowing for hazards.
Unimproved or vacant lots, under this article, located in the urban service area shall be mowed at least three times a year to a height of not more than six inches. Mowing shall occur at the following approximate times: mid to late May, July, late August or early September or when plant growth exceeds 24 inches in height. If the height of such vegetation is determined by the building inspector or the fire chief to pose a health, sanitary, or safety hazard, such officials may direct the subject property to be mowed more frequently and within five days of the date of the order.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 30).
Full Breakdown
Fitchburg City Code Sec. 37-70 applies a separate, tighter standard to unimproved or vacant lots than the eight-inch rule for improved lots in Sec. 37-69. Vacant lots located in the urban service area must be mowed at least three times a year to a height of no more than six inches. The ordinance specifies the approximate mowing windows: mid to late May, July, and late August or early September, or whenever plant growth exceeds 24 inches, whichever triggers first. If the building inspector or the fire chief determines that the height of vegetation on a vacant lot poses a health, sanitary or safety hazard, either official can direct the property to be mowed more frequently, and the owner has only five days from the date of the order to comply.
This gives the city two enforcement tracks on the same unimproved parcel: the routine three-times-a-year schedule, and a faster hazard-driven order that overrides the normal calendar when conditions on the lot warrant it. The provision sits in the same property-maintenance article as the improved-lot standard, so both are enforced through the chapter 37 notice-and-order process run by the building inspector.
Violations & Fines
Failing to mow a vacant lot on the required schedule, or failing to comply with a hazard-mowing order within the five-day deadline, is enforced through the building inspector's notice of violation and correction order, with a citation imposing a forfeiture following noncompliance. Because Sec. 37-70 sets no separate dollar penalty, the citywide general penalty in Sec. 1-21 applies: $25.00 to $500.00 for a first offense and $50.00 to $1,000.00 for repeat offenses within a year, plus prosecution costs, with each day of continued violation a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often must a vacant lot be mowed in Fitchburg, WI?
Can the city order emergency mowing of my vacant lot?
Is the vacant-lot height limit the same as for occupied homes?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fitchburg
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