Passaic, NJ Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Cutting height limit
- 2.5 feet max
- Roadway buffer
- Within 10 ft of any roadway
- Intersection buffer
- Within 25 ft of intersections
- Notice-to-comply period
- 10 days
- Enforcing office
- Dept. of Community Development
Summary
Every owner or tenant of land in Passaic must keep brush, hedges and other plant life within 10 feet of a roadway, and within 25 feet of an intersection, cut to no more than two and a half feet. Noncompliance within 10 days of city notice lets the city cut it and lien the cost to the property.
All owners or tenants of lands within the City of Passaic shall keep all brush, hedges and other plant life, growing within 10 feet of any roadway and within 25 feet of the intersection of two roadways, cut to a height of not more than 2 1/2 feet, and maintained at such height, and no higher, within 10 days after receipt of notice to cut the same from any official employed by the City of Passaic. In the event that the owner or tenant owning or leasing such lands shall not comply with the demand to cut such brush, hedges and other plant life, within the ten-day period set forth in the preceding sentence, any official or employee of the City of Passaic, duly ordered to do so by the Director of the Department of Community Development, may cut such brush, hedges or other plant life.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4978046; v41 updated 2026-07-01; through 07-01-2026).
Full Breakdown
Section 93-1 of Chapter 93, Brush, Grass and Weeds, is Passaic's overgrown-vegetation ordinance and applies to all owners or tenants of land within the city, not just vacant parcels, but it's the operative tool the city uses against unmowed vacant lots. It requires brush, hedges and other plant life growing within 10 feet of any roadway, and within 25 feet of a street intersection, to be cut to a height of no more than two and a half feet and kept there. Once an official employed by the City of Passaic gives notice to cut, the owner or tenant has 10 days to comply.
If they don't, an employee designated by the Director of the Department of Community Development may enter and cut the brush, hedges or plant life directly. Section 93-2 then lets the city recover its cost: the Director certifies the cost of cutting to the City Council, which reviews the certification, adjusts it if excessive, and directs the Tax Collector to charge the amount against the land as a lien, added to the property's taxes, bearing interest at the same rate as other taxes and collected the same way.
Under Section 93-4, a tenant can only be prosecuted under this chapter if the tenant is in sole possession of the land and the landlord is not, otherwise responsibility runs to the owner. Vacant, unimproved lots choked with overgrown brush also separately support a finding of hazardous or unsanitary premises under Passaic's property-maintenance chapter, giving code enforcement more than one hook to act.
Violations & Fines
Beyond the lien for the cost of city-performed cutting, Section 93-3 authorizes prosecution in Passaic Municipal Court for any owner or tenant who violates the chapter, subject to the Code's general penalty at Section 1-3, up to a $2,000 fine, 90 days' imprisonment, or 90 days of community service, on top of, not instead of, the cost lien.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Passaic require vacant lots to be mowed?
What happens if I ignore a weed-cutting notice in Passaic?
Can a tenant be fined instead of the property owner for overgrown brush?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Passaic
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Vacant Lot Maintenance in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Passaic County handle vacant lot maintenance.