Charles County, MD Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Weed height cap
- 12 inches (IPMC § 302.4, as amended)
- Local amendment
- § 224-1.8, adopted with Bill No. 2024-10
- Effective date
- May 14, 2024
- Enforcing official
- Building Code Official
- Applies to
- Premises generally, including vacant/unimproved lots
Summary
Charles County's adopted Building Code sets a 12-inch cap on weeds and plant growth under § 224-1.8, amending International Property Maintenance Code § 302.4. Unlike the county's separate residential nuisance law, this Building Code standard reaches "premises" generally, giving code officials a tool against overgrown vacant and unimproved lots that Chapter 85's residential-property definition does not clearly cover.
the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC), published by the 2021 International Code Council, Inc. (ICC), copies of which are attached hereto and made part hereof by incorporation, are hereby adopted as written, collectively, as The Building Code of Charles County, and will take effect for all permit applications upon the effective date of this bill, with the following insertions, additions, deletions. ... The terms "Building Official," "Mechanical Official," or "Code Official," as used under IBC, IRC, IECC, IFGC, IEBC, IMC, IPC, ISPSC, IFC, and IPMC shall mean and refer to "Building Code Official." ... IPMC Section 302.4, Weeds, Add 12" (inches) in bracketed area.
Full Breakdown
The Board of County Commissioners adopted the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code, along with the other 2021 International Codes, "as written, collectively, as The Building Code of Charles County," effective for all permit applications when Bill No. 2024-10 took effect on May 14, 2024, per § 224-1(1). " The model IPMC leaves the maximum height in that section blank for each jurisdiction to fill in; Charles County chose 12 inches. That is a tighter, differently-sourced standard than the one-foot line Chapter 85 sets for "residential property," and because the Property Maintenance Code governs "premises" broadly rather than only developed or clustered-development lots, it is the more direct fit for weeds on a vacant or unimproved parcel that does not meet Chapter 85's narrower residential-property definition.
Because the IPMC is adopted as part of the county's Building Code rather than as a standalone nuisance chapter, enforcement runs through the Building Code Official rather than the Nuisance Abatement Board that handles Chapter 85 complaints, and the code text supplied does not carry a separate stated fine for a Building Code weeds violation.
Violations & Fines
The Building Code text provided does not list a specific dollar fine for a § 224-1.8 weeds violation; enforcement runs through the Building Code Official, who administers the adopted International Property Maintenance Code and can order the growth cut down to the 12-inch line. Where the parcel also meets Chapter 85's definition of residential property, the county can additionally pursue that section's nuisance abatement process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Charles County regulate weeds on vacant, unimproved lots?
Who enforces the vacant lot weed standard?
When did Charles County adopt this 12-inch weed standard?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Charles County
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