Gary, IN Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

Section 34-29 of the Gary Municipal Code prohibits throwing or depositing litter on any open or vacant private property in the city, regardless of who owns it, closing a gap the article's general private-property rule might otherwise leave for unoccupied land. Section 34-28 requires the owner or person in control of any private property, occupied or not, to maintain the premises free of litter at all times, while allowing authorized private receptacles for collection. Litter is defined broadly in section 34-19 to include garbage, rubbish, ashes, abandoned vehicles, and solid market or industrial waste.

Where a vacant lot's condition rises to a public nuisance, section 34-30 lets the city step in after the owner has been ordered to abate it and fails to do so within ten to 60 days: city employees or contractors, supervised by an officer designated by the director of general services, may remove or abate the condition themselves. An owner who wants the city to do the work can request it in writing and pay the cost, and the city may require a deposit or a signed agreement securing payment before the work begins.

These litter provisions sit in chapter 34, article II, alongside separate rules banning litter in public places, gutters, and parks, all enforced under the same litter-control article.