Jefferson Parish, LA Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

Section 19-18 of the parish code makes it unlawful to let grass, weeds, or other vegetation exceed eight inches within 150 feet of an existing building, or to let flowers, gardens, or landscaping go uncontrolled and unmaintained; the code declares that growth a nuisance outright. Section 19-16 separately bans accumulating trash, debris, junk, abandoned appliances, or non-operating and unlicensed vehicles on any premises, and Section 19-17 exempts operable equipment kept out of public view and licensed junk yards. Enforcement runs through the Department of Code Compliance and Enforcement.

Under Section 19-22, the department posts notice on the property, a stake for a vacant lot or the window nearest the front door if a structure exists, describing the violation and the penalties that follow. Section 19-21(b)(1) gives an owner five days from that notice to cut the growth before the parish does it for them and bills the actual cost, plus a 100 percent surcharge if the job runs over $100. If the growth tops fifty-four inches, Section 19-21(b)(2) treats it as an emergency: the parish can mow it within twenty-four hours of posting, though the owner can still request a hearing within thirty days to contest the emergency abatement and its fee.

A hearing officer, a Louisiana-licensed attorney of at least two years standing and a parish resident, hears any dispute under Section 19-23. Owners who do not pay within ten days of billing face a recorded lien under Section 19-25, and under Section 19-27 an unpaid balance older than six months can be rolled onto the property's ad valorem tax bill with a 15 percent collection charge, with the sheriff keeping 15 percent of whatever is collected.