Yuma, AZ Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing code
- 2024 IPMC as amended, §§ 150-090/091
- Weeds standard
- § 150-091(L) amends PMC § 302.4
- Debris/overgrowth duty
- § 150-091(K), PMC § 302.1
- Enforcing agency
- Building Safety Division / building official
- Notice if vacant
- Posted conspicuously on-site, § 150-091(I)
- Penalty
- Class 1 misdemeanor, up to $1,000/10 days
- Last PMC update
- Ordinance O2025-036, passed 9-17-25
Summary
City Code § 150-091(L) amends the 2024 International Property Maintenance Code so every premises and exterior property, occupied or vacant, must stay free from weeds and uncontrolled plant growth. The Building Safety Division enforces the standard, and companion Section 302.1 requires owners to also clear debris, discarded machinery, trash and garbage from exterior areas.
(K) Section 302.1 Sanitation. Amend first sentence to read, “Property owners, tenants and occupants must keep the property’s exterior areas free of debris, overgrown vegetation, discarded machinery, trash and garbage.”
(L) Section 302.4 Weeds. Amend first sentence to read, "All premises and exterior property shall be maintained free from weeds or plant growth not properly controlled."
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-74: Current through May 20, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Yuma adopted the 2024 International Property Maintenance Code by City Code § 150-090, then amended it section by section in § 150-091. 4 Weeds so its first sentence reads, "All premises and exterior property shall be maintained free from weeds or plant growth not properly controlled," a standard that reaches vacant, unimproved lots as well as occupied parcels because the Property Maintenance Code's "premises" and "exterior property" language covers any lot or parcel of land, built on or not. 1 Sanitation to require that "property owners, tenants and occupants must keep the property's exterior areas free of debris, overgrown vegetation, discarded machinery, trash and garbage," reinforcing the same duty for empty land sitting between structures.
Subsection (C) creates the Department of Community Development, Building Safety Division, naming its head the building official responsible for enforcing the Property Maintenance Code citywide, and Subsection (D) substitutes "building official" for "code official" throughout the adopted text. 3, makes failing to comply with a notice of violation or order served under Section 107 a class 1 misdemeanor, and Subsection (I) requires that if no one is present on site when an order issues, the order must be conspicuously posted on the property. The Property Maintenance Code was most recently updated by Ordinance O2025-036, passed September 17, 2025.
Violations & Fines
Letting weeds or uncontrolled plant growth take over a lot violates PMC § 302.4 as amended, and failing to comply with a posted notice of violation is a class 1 misdemeanor under § 150-999: a fine up to $1,000, up to ten days in jail, or both. Each day the weeds remain after notice counts as a separate offense, and the building official may post the compliance order directly on unoccupied property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Yuma require vacant lots to be kept free of weeds?
What else must a property owner clear from a vacant lot?
What happens if I ignore a weed violation notice on my lot?
How is a violation notice delivered if no one is home?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yuma
Compare Yuma to another location·View the Arizona property maintenance overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.