Springfield, MO Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Duty holder
- every lot owner, including vacant lots
- Governing section
- City Code § 74-402
- Enforcement
- city abatement plus special tax lien
- ROW included
- up to curb or pavement edge
Summary
Springfield, Missouri (Greene County) requires every lot owner, vacant or built, to control overgrowth on their land and the adjoining right-of-way; the city can abate an ignored nuisance and bill or lien the owner for the cost.
A property owner has an ongoing obligation to manage nuisance overgrowth on all the owner's lots or lands, including that area of the right-of-way up to the street curb, or edge of pavement where no curb is present, and any area between the lot line and the centerline of any adjacent alley.
(S.O. No. 28187, § 1(Exh. A), 8-11-2025)
Editor's note— S.O. No. 28187, § 1(Exh. A), adopted August 22, 2025, repealed and reenacted section 74-402 in its entirety to read as herein set out. Formerly, section 74-402 pertained to the authority of the city manager to determine the existence of a nuisance, and derived from G.O. No. 6210, § 1, adopted July 27, 2015.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 23 Update 2 | Land Development Code: Supplement 9 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 74-402 places an ongoing duty on every property owner, not just occupied parcels, to manage nuisance overgrowth on all lots or lands the owner holds within Springfield, Missouri: extending to the right-of-way up to the curb (or pavement edge) and to the strip between the lot line and the centerline of any adjoining alley. If the owner does not abate a nuisance after notice under § 74-405, the director of building development services may abate it directly and certify the cost to the director of finance, who can add it to a special tax bill that becomes a lien on the land until paid, per § 74-406.
Violations & Fines
Owning a vacant or unimproved lot with unmanaged rank vegetation, including the abutting right-of-way strip, after the city has given notice to abate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the weed rule apply to an empty, unimproved lot in Springfield?
What can the city do if a vacant lot's owner won't mow it?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Springfield
Compare Springfield to another location·View the Missouri property maintenance overview
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