Rowlett requires lots to be kept free of grass and weeds over 12 inches and clear of trash, debris, and stagnant water, applying the same standards to vacant parcels. Unmaintained property can be abated by the city under Texas Health & Safety Code Chapter 342, with costs charged back as an abatement lien.
Rowlett does not publish a single standalone 'vacant lot' ordinance; instead, vacant and undeveloped parcels must meet the same property maintenance standards as occupied lots, enforced by Neighborhood Services under the 2018 IPMC and the Rowlett Code of Ordinances. The two standards most relevant to empty lots are the high-grass/weeds rule (grass and/or weeds 12 inches or higher is a violation, cited to IPMC Sec. 302.4 and Code Sec. 22-121(a) and 22-122(1)) and the trash/debris/stagnant-water rule (Code Article III, Sec. 22-123). When a property owner fails to maintain a lot, the city can abate the condition itself. According to Rowlett's abatement-lien program, abatement is triggered by conditions such as 'mowing weeds/grass over 12 inches in height,' trimming overgrown vegetation, removing trash and debris, and securing buildings or swimming pools; the city contracts the work and invoices the owner. Residential abatement invoices include a $150 administrative fee (commercial $250-$850) plus labor, filing fees, and accruing interest, and unpaid invoices are recorded as an abatement lien against the parcel. This local authority rests on Texas Health & Safety Code Chapter 342 (Subchapter A), which lets a municipality require owners to keep property free of weeds, brush, and public-nuisance conditions, and Sec. 342.006-342.007, which let the city do the work and assess the expense as a lien when the owner does not comply after notice.
Allowing grass or weeds over 12 inches, or trash, debris, and stagnant water, to accumulate on a vacant lot can be cited. If the owner does not correct it after notice, the city abates the condition and bills the owner; a $150 residential administrative fee plus labor and fees applies, and unpaid amounts become an abatement lien on the property.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Rowlett requires owners to keep property free of high weeds, brush, trash, and other nuisances. Weeds 12 inches or higher are prohibited (Sec. 22-121(a) and ...
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