Lawrence, KS Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

Lawrence City Code § 18-304 makes it unlawful for any owner, agent, lessee, tenant or other person in charge of a property to permit weeds to remain on the premises or on the strip between the property line and the centerline of an adjacent street or alley, including sidewalks, easements and rights-of-way. Section 18-302 defines "excessive growth" as any plant reaching 12 inches or more in height, or in length if matted down, and lists dozens of specific plants, from crabgrass and ragweed to Johnson grass and pigweed.

Trees, shrubbery, flowers, ornamental plants, crops grown as part of an urban agriculture use, and properly maintained gardens are not covered. A residentially zoned owner can register for a voluntary "natural landscaping" exemption with codes enforcement and, if cited, has ten days to claim it in writing, which stays enforcement until the city commission rules; no exemption is granted if the growth is a nuisance or harms public health or safety. Under § 18-305, the public officer the city manager designates investigates suspected violations and sends the owner, occupant or agent a notice by certified mail or personal service; that single notice covers the whole calendar year unless the property changes hands.

The recipient has ten days to cut the growth or request a hearing before the governing body. § 12-1617e if unpaid within 30 days. Interfering with a codes officer investigating or abating a violation is a separate misdemeanor under § 18-308.