Vacant-lot owners must keep grass and weeds down and the site clear of debris. In Topeka the limit is 12 inches; countywide, the Shawnee County Weed Department enforces the noxious-weed duty under K.S.A. 2-1314.
An empty parcel still has to be maintained. Within Topeka, the property-maintenance code that caps vegetation at 12 inches applies to vacant lots, with notice, city abatement and a lien for accumulated weeds or debris. Across all of Shawnee County — city and rural alike — the Shawnee County Weed Department enforces the Kansas Noxious Weed Law, K.S.A. 2-1314 et seq., which makes controlling and eradicating declared noxious weeds the landowner's duty. The department can serve a legal notice giving as few as five days to act, then treat the weeds at the owner's expense and lien the property, or pursue criminal charges for continued non-compliance.
Under the noxious-weed law, ignoring a control notice lets the county treat the weeds at your expense and lien the property. Conviction for non-compliance carries a fine of $100 per day, up to a maximum of $1,500.
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See how Shawnee County's vacant lot maintenance rules stack up against other locations.
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