Fort Smith, AR Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

Fort Smith's overgrown-lot rule sets the maximum at 10 inches of grass or weed height on lots and yards (including the abutting alley and easement). The enforcement framework is published by the Neighborhood Services Division and tracks the structure of Arkansas's Municipal Authority statutes: A.C.A. §14-54-901 (cities empowered to order owners to cut weeds, remove garbage/rubbish, and abate unsanitary conditions) and A.C.A. §14-54-903 (7-day notice requirement; if the owner refuses or neglects to abate after written notice, the city may do whatever is necessary to correct and charge the owner). Notice procedure: a Notice of Violation is physically posted on the property and a copy mailed to the owner/occupant identifying the violation type and compliance deadline. After the 7-day window, the City may proceed with a criminal charge (typically a Chapter 1 general-penalty misdemeanor) and dispatch a contractor for cutting/cleanup, with costs charged to the owner as a lien on the real property under A.C.A. §14-54-904. The Notice expressly informs the owner that the City may continually abate the weed/grass nuisance every 30 days throughout the current growing season and charge each cycle separately - so failing to mow once exposes the owner to multiple contractor charges over the summer without further notice. Property owners are also responsible for maintaining the alley or easement that adjoins their property (the City explicitly imposes this duty by ordinance). Debris, trash, and abandoned/inoperable motor vehicles or household appliances on lots are separately enforced under the same Chapter 16 nuisance framework and the 2021 IPMC at Section 6-401.