Portsmouth, VA Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

Section 23-26 declares grass or weeds exceeding ten inches within 300 feet of a building or road, and any accumulated debris, a public nuisance on any land or lot in the city, occupied or not. Under section 23-27, the director or a designee who finds the violation must mail or post written notice ordering the owner or occupant to cut and remove the growth or debris within a reasonable deadline that cannot exceed ten days; two notices issued in a calendar year count as reasonable notice for that year, so a third cutting can proceed without further warning.

Section 23-29 lets an owner ask the director for an extension before the deadline passes, and the director may grant up to 30 additional days for extenuating circumstances. If the owner still fails to comply, section 23-30 authorizes the city to cut the lot itself, and it expressly applies 'regardless if the property is vacant or not,' directly covering unimproved and vacant parcels alongside occupied ones. The city then bills the owner for its abatement costs plus an administrative fee set in Appendix A, and section 23-5's lien procedure lets those costs be docketed as a lien against the real estate, ranking on parity with unpaid local tax liens until paid in full.

Section 23-31 exempts ecologically sensitive land from the height rule: the Hoffler Creek Wildlife Preserve, all tidal wetlands areas, and city-owned parks and preserves. The city may keep maintaining a previously noticed lot for up to a year without reissuing notice unless the owner tells the director in writing that upkeep will resume and the director is satisfied it is being carried out.