Hackensack, NJ Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

Section 100-15J targets undeveloped, vacant parcels specifically, separate from the general weed rule that applies to lots with structures on them. The default cutting zone is between the sidewalks fronting the lot; where a property has no sidewalks, the owner must cut the grass a minimum of 20 feet behind the face of the curb, or behind the edge of the street pavement where there is no curb at all. Regardless of which zone applies, no grass or weeds may grow taller than 10 inches.

The section builds in a narrow accommodation: the Chief Maintenance Inspector may deviate from the mowing requirement where land conditions make the area genuinely inaccessible to cut, or where an especially large property is involved, so an owner facing a steep, wooded, or oversized vacant lot has an avenue to request relief rather than facing automatic enforcement. This sits alongside a companion rule at Section 100-15K for lots that already have a structure on them, which requires cutting from the curbline (or pavement edge) all the way to the rear property line and from side line to side line, also capped at 10 inches, so together the two subsections cover essentially every parcel type in the City regardless of whether it is built out.