Jersey City, NJ Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Duty
- keep vacant lot free of refuse/brush/weeds/stumps
- Fence
- required to prevent debris accumulation
- Cure notice
- 10 days (72 hrs for animal-accessible waste)
- Removal cost
- becomes a lien on next tax bill
- Enforcement
- Public Safety, Police, Health & Human Services
Summary
Owners of vacant lots in Jersey City must keep the property free of refuse, brush, weeds, tree stumps and other noxious plants under § 287-3(F), and must fence the lot to stop debris from accumulating under § 287-4(C). If the owner doesn't clean up within 10 days of the city's notice, the city can do it and lien the cost.
§ 287-3.F: It shall be the duty of owners of vacant real property to maintain such property free of refuse, brush, weeds, tree stumps and other noxious plants. ... § 287-4.A: an enforcement agency ... may notify the owner of any real property to remove from the property brush, weeds, dead and dying trees, stumps, roots, noxious growths, filth, garbage, litter and debris. If the owner fails to comply within ten days after notice from the Director, the Director may authorize the removal ... and ... cause the costs to become a lien against the property. ... § 287-4.C: All property owners of vacant lots are required to erect a fence to prevent the accumulation of refuse.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 52).
Full Breakdown
Section 287-3(F) makes it 'the duty of owners of vacant real property to maintain such property free of refuse, brush, weeds, tree stumps and other noxious plants' as an ongoing obligation, not just a response to a notice. Section 287-4(A) lets the designated enforcement agency, the Department of Public Safety's Division of Quality of Life and Division of Police, and the Division of Environmental Health within Health and Human Services, per § 287-31, notify the owner to remove brush, weeds, dead or dying trees, stumps, roots, noxious growth, filth, garbage, litter and debris.
A. 14, added to the next tax bill and bearing the same interest as delinquent taxes, collectible by the same officers as taxes. Section 287-4(B) adds a faster, 72-hour-to-10-day notice for solid waste left where it's accessible to animals like raccoons or rodents. Section 287-4(C) separately requires every vacant-lot owner to erect a fence to prevent refuse accumulation; if the owner doesn't, the city may authorize the fence's erection itself.
Violations & Fines
Failing to maintain a vacant lot or erect the required fence is enforceable through the same § 287-4 notice-and-lien process, and separately punishable under § 287-29/§ 1-25 with the Chapter 287 solid-waste penalty range of $2,500 to $10,000 (or $250/$500 minimums for one-to-four and five-plus unit residential owners). Each day of noncompliance is a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to maintain a vacant lot I own in Jersey City?
What if I don't clean up my vacant lot after the city notifies me?
Does the city ever fence a vacant lot itself?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Jersey City
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