Marietta, GA Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 7-4-2-110
- First notice
- 48-hour door hanger
- Second notice
- 5-day certified mail
- First-offense penalty
- up to $500 fine and/or 30 days jail
- 3rd offense in 1 year
- up to $1,000 fine and/or 3 months jail
- Unpaid lien interest
- 1% per month
Summary
Marietta City Code § 7-4-2-110 requires every owner, tenant or agent to keep a vacant lot, or any other property, clean and sanitary and free of trash and debris. Noncompliance draws a 48-hour door-hanger notice, then a five-day certified-mail notice, before the director of development services can summon the owner to municipal court and place a lien for abatement costs.
A.In order to provide for the health, safety and welfare of properties within the City of Marietta, every person, whether owner, tenant, agent, or employee owning, holding, or occupying property in the city shall, at all times:1.Maintain the property, whether a vacant lot or otherwise, in a clean and sanitary condition. ... B.In the event it is determined that any property does not comply with Subsection (A), above, it shall be the duty of the director of development services or designee thereof to provide written notice, via door hanger posted upon said property, advising that the property owner, agent, or other party in charge of the property has 48 hours from the date of such written notice to bring the property into compliance. ... L.Penalty; continuing violations. Any person who violates this article or fails to comply with any of its requirements shall, upon conviction thereof, be subject to a fine not to exceed $500.00 for each violation and/or imprisoned for not more than 30 days, or both; and in addition, shall pay all costs and expenses involved in each separate offense.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 56).
Full Breakdown
Subsection A obligates owners, tenants, agents and employees to keep property "whether a vacant lot or otherwise" clean of wastepaper, trash, leaves, debris and overgrown vegetation, and to cut overgrown trees that encroach on a driveway, sidewalk, street or sightline. Enforcement is staged: a 48-hour door-hanger notice under subsection B is followed, if uncorrected, by a five-day certified-mail notice under subsection C addressed to the owner shown on Cobb County tax assessor records. If the condition still isn't fixed, subsection D has the director of development services issue a summons to appear before Marietta Municipal Court, and subsection E gives five more days to comply after a hearing finds noncompliance.
Subsection F lets the public works department do the abatement itself under a court order if the owner still refuses. The cost becomes both a lien on the property and a personal debt of the owner under subsection H, with a written statement of the assessment due within 30 days under subsection I. If unpaid, subsection J has the city clerk issue an execution bearing 1 percent monthly interest, delivered to the chief of police for levy and sale of the property under subsection K, following the same procedure used for other city tax executions.
Violations & Fines
A first violation of § 7-4-2-110 carries a fine of up to $500.00 and/or up to 30 days in jail, plus all costs and expenses of the case, under subsection L. Subsection M raises the stakes for recurring conditions: a third violation within one year of the first triggers a fine of up to $1,000.00 and/or up to three months' imprisonment, plus costs, for that and any further offense in the same year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is responsible for maintaining a vacant lot in Marietta?
What happens if I ignore Marietta's cleanup notice?
Can the city clean my lot and bill me?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Marietta
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