Laredo, TX Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Weed height trigger
- Over 12 inches
- Cure period
- 7 days after written notice
- Hearing request window
- 7 days, in writing
- Max fine
- $2,000 per violation
- Repeat violation
- City may abate without new notice within 1 year
Summary
Laredo requires owners and lessees of any lot or premises, vacant or not, to stay free of weeds, rubbish, and unsanitary matter. Once weeds top twelve inches or trash accumulates, code enforcement issues a written notice, and the owner gets seven days to comply or request a hearing before the city can abate the nuisance and bill the property.
It shall be unlawful for any owner or lessee of any lot or premises within the city limits to allow weeds to grow upon the lot or premises or on the abutting sidewalk or sidewalks or to allow trash or rubbish to accumulate upon such lot or premises, or on the abutting sidewalk or sidewalks, to such an extent as is reasonably calculated to create a fire hazard or to become injurious to the health of others, and, in addition to the penalties provided herein, and the remedies provided herein, either condition is hereby deemed to constitute a public nuisance.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 23 Update 3 | Land Development Code: Supplement 1).
Full Breakdown
Section 15-38 makes it the responsibility of every lot or premises owner or lessee in the city to maintain the property and any abutting sidewalk. Section 15-39 requires the lot or premises to be kept "free from weeds, rubbish, brush, and other objectionable, unsightly or unsanitary matter," and section 15-40 makes it unlawful to let weeds grow or trash accumulate to a degree that creates a fire hazard or health risk, expressly declaring either condition a public nuisance. Section 15-41 sets the criminal penalty: prosecution in municipal court with a fine not exceeding $2,000 per violation.
The enforcement trigger is numeric: under section 15-42(a), once weeds exceed twelve inches or trash accumulates, a code enforcement officer from the department of community development must serve a written notice of violation on the owner or lessee. That notice must give the owner seven days to bring the property into compliance before the city can do the work itself and assess the cost against the owner, and it must separately advise the owner of a right to request a hearing, in writing, within seven days.
If a hearing is requested, it's held before the article IV hearing officer within ten days, who can order abatement; if a second violation of the same kind occurs within one year of the first notice, the city may act without any further notice at all under section 15-42(b)(4). Unpaid abatement costs become a lien on the property under the procedure in section 15-45.
Violations & Fines
A first offense under section 15-40 is prosecuted in municipal court and punishable by a fine of up to $2,000. Owners get a seven-day cure period and a right to request a hearing before the article IV hearing officer, but a repeat violation of the same kind within one year lets the city abate the nuisance and bill the owner without any additional notice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can weeds get on a vacant lot in Laredo before it's a violation?
What happens if I don't clean up my vacant lot after notice in Laredo?
Can Laredo clean up my lot again without warning me a second time?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Laredo
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