Vacant lots in Suffolk must be mowed. City Code Sec. 34-110 requires owners of vacant developed or undeveloped property to cut grass, weeds, and other growth once it reaches an average height of ten inches, or the city cuts it and adds a $75 fee.
An empty parcel in Suffolk still carries an upkeep duty. City Code Sec. 34-110 requires the owner of vacant developed or undeveloped real property to cut the grass, weeds, and other foreign growth whenever it reaches an average height of not less than ten inches. If the owner fails after reasonable notice, the city manager's office can have the growth cut by city crews and charge the cost plus a $75.00 administrative fee. Under Sec. 34-111 that charge becomes a lien on the property, collectible like taxes. The removal duty in Sec. 34-109 — clearing trash and debris — applies to vacant lots too, so a dumped-on lot faces both the mowing rule and nuisance abatement.
Letting a vacant lot's growth top an average ten inches violates Sec. 34-110; the city mows it and bills the cost plus a $75.00 administrative fee, which becomes a lien under Sec. 34-111. Dumped debris draws Sec. 34-109 civil penalties.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Suffolk does not regulate holiday decorations or lights, and no permit is required. The UDO's sign rules reach a display only if it carries a message and cou...
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Suffolk treats garage-sale signs as temporary yard signs: no permit needed, up to 8 square feet and 4 feet tall on residential property. Signs may not be pla...
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Suffolk runs a rental inspection district program. In about 30 named neighborhoods, every residential rental unit needs a city certificate of occupancy after...
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Suffolk has no just-cause eviction ordinance. Under the VRLTA a landlord may end a month-to-month tenancy without giving a reason on 30 days' written notice....
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Suffolk has no rent control, and it cannot adopt one. Virginia is a Dillon's Rule state that grants no locality power to cap rent, so landlords set market ra...
See how Suffolk's vacant lot maintenance rules stack up against other locations.
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