Iron County, UT Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- Iron County Code Chapter 8.20, Nuisances
- Abatement notice period
- 30 days from service
- Voluntary agreement fine cap
- $100 per week
- Administrative citation fine cap
- $200 per week
- Criminal penalty
- Class B misdemeanor, up to $1,000 and 6 months
- Enforcing agency
- Zoning officer, building inspector, sheriff
Summary
In unincorporated Iron County, letting rubbish, junk or rank weeds accumulate on any lot, vacant or built, is declared a nuisance under Iron County Code Chapter 8.20. The Board of County Commissioners' enforcement officer can issue a 30-day notice to abate before citing the owner.
Except as specifically allowed in this chapter, the maintaining, using, placing, depositing, leaving, or permitting to be or remain on any public or private property of any of the following items, conditions, or actions are hereby declared to be unlawful and constitute a nuisance; provided, however, that this enumeration shall not be deemed or construed to be conclusive, limiting, or restrictive: A.Accumulation of rubbish, trash, refuse, junk, and other abandoned materials, metals, lumber, or other things;B.Noxious weeds, as defined in U.C.A. Section 4-17-1 et seq. ("Utah Noxious Weed Act"), as currently amended, and other rank vegetation;
Full Breakdown
Iron County Code Section 8.20.030 declares it unlawful to maintain, place or permit to remain on any public or private property an "accumulation of rubbish, trash, refuse, junk, and other abandoned materials, metals, lumber, or other things," and separately lists "noxious weeds ... and other rank vegetation" as its own nuisance category. The enumeration expressly is not exclusive, so an unimproved or vacant parcel is covered the same as a built lot. Under Section 8.20.090, the zoning officer, building inspector, sheriff, county weed control board or county attorney can investigate and enforce.
Section 8.20.110 requires the enforcement officer to serve written notice giving the responsible person, defined broadly to include the owner, lessee or occupant, thirty days to abate before further action; once notice has issued in a calendar year, no repeat notice is required to compel abatement. If the owner ignores a voluntary correction agreement or administrative citation, Section 8.20.150 lets the county abate the nuisance itself and bill the owner, with unpaid costs becoming a recorded lien under Section 8.20.150(E). Section 8.20.160 caps administrative monetary fines at $100 per week under a voluntary correction agreement or $200 per week under an administrative citation.
Maintaining a nuisance is separately a Class B misdemeanor under Section 8.20.130, punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail, with each day a separate offense. Owners may appeal an administrative citation to the county's hearing officer within thirty days under Section 8.20.200.
Violations & Fines
Ignoring a notice to abate lets the county impose fines of up to $100/week (voluntary correction) or $200/week (administrative citation), recover costs by lien, and pursue a Class B misdemeanor charge carrying up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail per Section 8.20.130. Each day the violation continues is a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a vacant lot in unincorporated Iron County have to be kept clear of junk?
Who enforces the vacant lot nuisance rule in Iron County?
How long does an owner get to clean up a vacant lot after notice?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Iron County
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