Roanoke County, VA Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Height limit
- 12 inches
- Trigger distance
- within 250 ft of residential land
- First-violation penalty
- up to $50
- Repeat-violation penalty
- up to $200
- 12-month penalty cap
- $3,000
- Unpaid abatement cost
- becomes a property lien
Summary
In Roanoke County, Virginia (outside the independent cities of Roanoke and Salem), owners of vacant developed or undeveloped land, including parcels that already carry buildings, may not let weeds grow past twelve inches within 250 feet of residentially developed property, under County Code § 13-153(a). Unpaid abatement costs the county incurs cutting the lot become a lien against the property under § 13-157, on parity with unpaid taxes.
(a)It shall be unlawful for any owner of any vacant developed or undeveloped property, including such property upon which buildings or other improvements are located, within the boundaries of platted subdivisions or any other areas zoned for residential, business, commercial or industrial use, to permit weeds of more than twelve (12) inches in height within two hundred fifty (250) feet of property developed for residential use. ... Every charge for cutting grass on vacant property or removal of trash which the owner of any property shall have been assessed and which remains unpaid shall constitute a lien against such property on parity with liens for unpaid taxes.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 13, Article IV of the county code (Weeds and Trash) reaches beyond occupied yards to vacant and undeveloped parcels. Section 13-153(a) makes it unlawful for an owner of vacant developed or undeveloped property, including property carrying buildings or other improvements, within a platted subdivision or any area zoned residential, business, commercial or industrial, to let weeds exceed twelve inches within 250 feet of land developed for residential use. 'Weeds' is defined at § 13-151 as grass, weeds, bushes, poison ivy, poison oak or other vegetable growth, excluding trees, ornamental shrubbery, flowers and garden vegetables.
Enforcement runs through the same complaint chain as the occupied-lot rule: any aggrieved person reports the condition to the enforcement agent (the county administrator or designee) under § 13-155, the agent inspects under § 13-156, and a confirmed violation triggers written notice giving the owner ten calendar days to cut. If the deadline passes, the county cuts the lot itself and assesses the abatement cost, covering labor, equipment, supplies and any contract price, against the owner under § 13-157; an unpaid charge becomes a lien on the property with the same priority as an unpaid tax lien.
The director of community development can exempt county-owned parcels holding stormwater facilities, riparian buffers, floodplain preservation land or other environmentally sensitive areas from the article under § 13-158.
Violations & Fines
A first violation of § 13-153(a), or violations arising from the same set of facts, draws a civil penalty of up to $50 under § 13-152(a). A later, unrelated violation within twelve months can draw up to $200, and each calendar day a violation persists counts as a separate offense, but the total civil penalties from one continuing set of facts cannot exceed $3,000 in any twelve-month period. Courts may substitute litter-abatement community service.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can weeds get on a vacant lot in Roanoke County?
What does 'vacant property' include under this rule?
What's the penalty for letting weeds grow on a vacant lot?
Who pays if the county has to cut the weeds itself?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Roanoke County
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