Roseville, MN Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

Roseville's property maintenance chapter reaches vacant land directly. Section 906.05(a)(3) requires all vacant structures and premises, and vacant land, to be maintained in a clean, safe, secure and sanitary condition so the property does not cause a blighting problem or adversely affect public health or safety. The exterior property rules in the same section apply to a lot whether or not a building stands on it: premises must be graded and maintained to prevent the erosion of soil and the accumulation of stagnant water, with an exception for approved retention areas and reservoirs.

The weed standard appears in two places. Section 906.05(b)(4) requires all premises and exterior property to be free from weeds or plant growth in excess of eight inches, and it prohibits every noxious weed listed by the state department of agriculture. Weeds are defined as all grasses, annual plants and vegetation other than trees or shrubs, but cultivated flowers and gardens are not weeds. Separately, the nuisance code at section 405.02(11) covers all noxious weeds in all locations and applies the eight inch limit to turf grasses, nuisance weeds and rank vegetative growth closer than 40 feet from an occupied principal structure, from a property line with an occupied structure on abutting property, or from a public road pavement edge. That subsection does not apply to natural areas, public open space or parklands as determined by the city forester or a naturalist designated by the city manager, or to yard areas with natural landscaping that follow the city policy for natural landscaping.

Enforcement starts with a notice of violation served by the code official. If the owner or agent in charge of the property does not cut and destroy the weeds after notice, the City can send an authorized employee or a contractor onto the property to do it, and the owner or responsible agent pays the cost. Under section 906.03(g)(3), any action the City takes on a premises is charged against the real estate and becomes a lien on it.