Oyster Bay, NY Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Vegetation height limit
- 8 inches
- Cure period after notice
- 5 days
- Enforcing office
- Dept. of Planning & Development
- First-offense fine
- Up to $350 or 6 months jail
- Third-offense fine
- $700 to $1,000
- Unpaid cleanup cost
- Assessed against the lot as a lien
Summary
Every parcel in the unincorporated Town, vacant or built on, must be kept under Chapter 135's eight-inch cap on lawns, weeds, grass and brush. Owners get five days to cut growth or clear debris after a written notice before the Town does the work and bills the lot.
It shall be unlawful for any owner of real property within the Town or the agent of such owner and/or any person, firm or corporation occupying any real property within the Town to permit: (1) Lawns, weeds, grass, brush and growth of vegetation of any kind to obtain a height in excess of eight inches. (2) Garbage, litter, refuse, rubbish or rubble to accumulate thereon.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4036544; v24 updated 2023-03-07; through 03-07-2023).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 135, Housing Standards, is Oyster Bay's general property-maintenance code, and it reaches every parcel of real property in the unincorporated Town, improved or not. Section 135-52 makes it unlawful for any owner or occupant to let "lawns, weeds, grass, brush and growth of vegetation of any kind" exceed eight inches, or to let garbage, litter, refuse, rubbish or rubble accumulate on the property. A vacant, unimproved lot is real property like any other under this section, so the height cap and litter ban apply to it directly, not just to occupied homes.
Enforcement begins with a written notice of violation from the Commissioner of the Department of Planning and Development, served personally or by first-class and certified mail under Section 135-53, with a copy posted on the premises if mailed. Section 135-54 gives the owner five days from service to cut the growth or clear the debris. If the owner does not comply, the Commissioner can direct the Department of Public Works, the Sanitation Department and/or the Department of Parks to mow the lot and remove the material, and the Town recovers the cost from the owner through an assessment against the lot, collected the way public-improvement costs are assessed under Article 4, Section 64, of the Town Law.
A separate chapter, Chapter 96, layers additional weed and debris maintenance duties onto vacant lots that are also in mortgage default, but Section 135-52's eight-inch rule applies to every vacant lot in Town regardless of mortgage status.
Violations & Fines
A first offense under Section 135-55 carries a fine up to $350 or up to six months in jail. A second offense within five years runs $350 to $700; a third or later offense within five years runs $700 to $1,000, with imprisonment up to six months possible at each tier. Each week the violation continues counts as a separate offense, and the Town can also bill cleanup costs back to the owner as a lien under Section 135-54.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Oyster Bay's weed height limit apply to vacant, unimproved lots?
What happens if I ignore a weed-cutting notice on my vacant lot?
How much can I be fined for overgrown weeds on a vacant lot in Oyster Bay?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Oyster Bay
New York rules heatmap·Compare Oyster Bay to another location·View the New York property maintenance overview
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