La Grange, MO Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

Section 220.020(A) declares a lot or land a public nuisance if it holds 'debris of any kind,' and lists examples reaching well beyond weeds: 'rubbish and trash, lumber not piled or stacked twelve (12) inches off the ground, rocks or bricks, tin, steel, parts of derelict cars or trucks, broken furniture, any flammable material which may endanger public safety or any material which is unhealthy or unsafe.' Enforcement starts with the City Administrator, who under Subsection B must give the owner and each occupant written notice, by personal service or first-class mail, that describes the nuisance, identifies what has to be done, and orders removal 'not less than ten (10) days from the date of such notice.' The same notice tells the owner or occupant they may request a hearing before the City Administrator within ten days to contest whether a nuisance exists at all.

If the deadline passes without action, or without the owner 'pursu[ing] the removal... without unnecessary delay,' Subsection C lets the City Administrator have the lot cleared directly and certify the cost to the City Clerk, who adds it to the property's tax bill as a special assessment; an unpaid bill becomes 'a personal debt against the owner and occupant' and a lien on the property. Subsection D layers a separate track on top of the tax-bill remedy: the City Administrator may instead notify the Police Department for prosecution, and 'every day upon which such violation occurs shall constitute a separate offense under this Section.'