New Haven, CT Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

Section 9-51(d)(1)(vii) is one of eleven lot-level property-maintenance standards in the ordinance. It reads: 'Yards, courts and vacant lots shall be kept clean and free of physical hazards, rodent harborage and infestation, and shall be maintained in a manner that will prevent accumulations of trash, garbage, litter, debris and rubbish. ' The surrounding subsections layer on related duties for the same parcel: grading and drainage to prevent standing water (subsection i), maintained fences including graffiti removal (subsection iii), a planting strip kept mowed and free of poison ivy and ragweed (subsection v), and paved areas such as driveways and walks kept free of holes and hazards (subsection vi).

A companion standard, subsection (iv), separately caps grass, weeds and similar growth at one foot in height. Violations of the vacant-lot standard are enforced the same way as any other property-maintenance violation under the ordinance: an enforcement officer designated by the mayor documents the condition, the director of the Livable City Initiative issues written notice giving the owner ten calendar days to clean the lot (subsection i), and a missed deadline draws a civil citation that can be appealed to a hearing officer within ten days or, after an adverse assessment, to the Superior Court's Housing Session within thirty days (subsections j, l).

Exempt property, meaning city-owned parcels and sites actively under a current building permit proceeding on a reasonably expeditious timeline, is not subject to this standard (subsection a(11)).