Spalding County, GA Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Height limit
- 12 inches of growth in yard area
- Applies to
- Developed property 5 acres or less
- Compliance window
- 7 days after notice of violation
- Noxious weeds
- Banned outright, any height
- Enforcing agency
- Community Development director or designee
- Self-help abatement
- County cuts weeds, bills owner
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 2025-77, July 7, 2025
Summary
In unincorporated Spalding County, developed property of five acres or less, including vacant subdivision lots, must keep weeds and plant growth in the yard area under twelve inches. Noxious weeds are banned outright. Community Development issues a written notice of violation, and owners get seven days to cut the growth before the county sends a contractor to do it and bills the cost to the property.
Premises and exterior property shall be maintained free of weeds or plant growth in excess of twelve (12) inches within the established yard area of any developed property five (5) acres or less in size. Noxious weeds shall be prohibited. Weeds shall be defined as all grasses, annual plants and vegetation, other than trees or shrubs provided; however, this term shall not include cultivated flowers and gardens. This provision shall not prohibit controlled natural growth on the property. ... Upon failure of the owner or agent having charge of property to cut and destroy weeds within seven (7) days of service of a notice of violation, they shall be subject to prosecution as prescribed by section 1-1007 of the Spalding County Code of Ordinances. Upon failure to comply within seven (7) days with the notice of violation, any duly authorized employee of the jurisdiction or contractor hired by the jurisdiction shall be authorized to enter upon the property in violation and cut and destroy the weeds growing thereon, and the costs of such removal shall be paid by the owner or agent responsible for the property.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 8-3003 of the Spalding County Code, rewritten by Ord. No. 2025-77 on July 7, 2025, defines developed property as land improved for residential, commercial or industrial use, including platted subdivision lots that have not yet been built on, and defines the yard area as the space immediately adjoining the principal structure that has been routinely maintained as open space since development began. Within that yard area, weeds and plant growth in excess of twelve inches are prohibited on any developed parcel five acres or less, and noxious weeds listed on the USDA's Federal Noxious Weed List are banned regardless of height.
The ordinance carves out two exceptions: cultivated flowers and gardens, and controlled natural growth, meaning landscaped areas of native plants left to promote the property's appearance. Enforcement runs through the public officer designated under Sec. 8-2002, the director of the department of community development or a designee. When an owner or agent fails to cut and destroy weeds within seven days of a served notice of violation, the county or a hired contractor may enter the property, cut the weeds, and bill the removal cost back to the owner or agent responsible.
Failure to comply also exposes the owner to prosecution under the code's general penalty section, Sec. 1-1007, which treats each day of a continuing violation as a separate offense.
Violations & Fines
Unresolved weed violations are prosecuted under Sec. 1-1007, the code's general penalty section: each day the twelve-inch limit or noxious-weed ban is violated after notice counts as a separate offense, punishable by a fine and imprisonment up to the maximum Georgia allows for county ordinance violations under O.C.G.A. § 36-1-20(b), currently one thousand dollars or sixty days, or both. The county can also self-abate by cutting the weeds and billing the owner for the cost.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can weeds get on a vacant lot in unincorporated Spalding County?
What happens after Community Development sends a weed notice?
Are wildflower beds or vegetable gardens exempt from the weed rule?
What counts as a noxious weed under this rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Spalding County
Compare Spalding County to another location·View the Georgia property maintenance overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.