West Hartford, CT Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

Town Code § 115-22B addresses undeveloped land separately from occupied lots. While the first clause of that subsection caps growth at one foot on any premises with a building or dwelling, a second clause specifically reaches vacant, undeveloped premises: the owner may not let grass, weeds or similar growths taller than one foot remain within 25 feet of a street line or of any property line adjoining a lot that has a building or dwelling on it, whether that neighboring structure is occupied or not.

The 25-foot buffer targets the edges of a vacant parcel that face the public street or an inhabited neighbor, rather than regulating the interior of a large undeveloped tract wholesale. Section 115-22A's general landscaping standards, barring growth that blocks sidewalks, obstructs sight lines at road signs, or crosses onto adjacent property, apply to vacant lots as well. The poisonous-vegetation companion rule at § 115-23 separately bars poison ivy or poison sumac within 25 feet of a street or property line on any lot, developed or not.