New Orleans caps grass and weeds at 10 inches. Every property, including vacant land, must be kept below that height. Owners get about five days after a notice to cut before the city mows and bills them, with the cost added to the tax rolls.
Under Sec. 26-160 (and companion nuisance provisions in Ch. 66), all premises and exterior property must be maintained free from weeds or plant growth more than ten inches tall across the entire lot. 'Weeds' means all grasses, annual plants, and vegetation other than trees or shrubs, and excludes cultivated flowers and gardens. The 10-inch limit was adopted in 2021, replacing the old 18-inch threshold. Enforcement is complaint-driven: the Department of Code Enforcement issues a Notice of Violation, the owner has about five days to correct, and if the grass isn't cut the city performs the work and charges the owner.
City mows after the five-day cure period and bills the owner; first cut typically $300 or more; unpaid charges added to the owner's ad valorem tax bill; repeat neglect can trigger nuisance/blight adjudication.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
orleans-parish-la
New Orleans has no ordinance banning home composting, so residents may compost yard and food scraps. Composting must not create odor, rodent, or nuisance con...
orleans-parish-la
New Orleans has no ordinance banning artificial turf in yards, but it counts as an impervious surface. Because CZO Article 23 protects permeable ground and r...
orleans-parish-la
New Orleans does not require homeowners to use native plants, but CZO Article 23 governs required landscaping for development and favors trees and green infr...
orleans-parish-la
Louisiana does not ban rainwater harvesting, so New Orleans residents may collect rain in barrels and cisterns. For larger projects, the CZO actually require...
orleans-parish-la
New Orleans does not impose routine day-of-week or odd/even lawn-watering restrictions. The Sewerage & Water Board supplies water and may issue temporary con...
orleans-parish-la
New Orleans requires owners to keep weeds and grass under 10 inches on their lot and the adjoining curb strip. Overgrown, blighted lots are enforced through ...
See how Orleans Parish's weeds & overgrown grass rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.