It shall be the duty of every owner or occupant of real estate within the City at all times to cut and destroy noxious weeds as required and poison ivy, and to mow the grass and other weeds on their respective lots, and in the lawn space adjacent to curb lines along the front, rear and side lot lines thereof, so that neither grass nor weeds shall grow above the height of six (6) inches, and every owner or occupant shall remove the cuttings, mowings or other debris therefrom.
The growth of any noxious weeds such as ragweed and poison ivy, or grass or other weeds above the height of six (6) inches, or the accumulation of other such debris, or the nonremoval of the same from all real estate within the City is hereby declared to be a nuisance.
Whenever it is reported to the Director of Environmental Services that any owner or occupant of real estate in the City has failed or neglected to comply with any of the terms of this Chapter, the Director shall cause a written notice to be served upon the owner or occupant, directing compliance with all the terms of this Chapter within five (5) days.
[Ord. 21-2004, § 27, eff. 12-2-2004]
In the event of failure of the owner or occupant of the real estate to cut and destroy noxious weeds or to mow grass and other weeds or to remove the same or other debris within five (5) days after being notified to do so, the Department of Public Works is authorized to abate the conditions by causing the removal of the noxious weeds or grass and other weeds. The City shall immediately thereafter be entitled to recover the costs of such removal from the owner, lessee or occupant in an action at law in the Court of Common Pleas, and when the suit, with statement of claim, with description of the premises, is filed by the City, the prothonotary shall index it upon the judgment docket, and the City shall have a lien for the amount of the claim against the premises. Such lien for the recovery of the costs to the City of abating the unlawful accumulation of noxious weeds, grass and other weeds shall be in addition to any fine or penalty imposed under Section 609.07 of this Chapter for any violation of this Chapter.
In addition to the other penalties provided by this Chapter, the City may institute proceedings in courts of law or equity to require owners or occupants of real estate within the City to comply with the provisions of this Chapter.
The cost of removal, fine and penalties hereinabove mentioned may be entered by the City as a lien against property in accordance with existing provisions of law.
[Ord. 44-1982, eff. 11-22-1982; Am. Ord. 30-1994, eff. 12-16-1994]
Any person violating the provisions of this Chapter shall be fined up to fifteen dollars ($15.00) plus court costs. Any owner of a multi-family dwelling six (6) units or larger or any commercial, institutional or municipal establishment violating this Chapter or any regulations promulgated hereunder shall be fined a minimum of fifty dollars ($50.00) and a maximum of five hundred dollars ($500.00) plus court costs. Each day the condition continues shall constitute a separate offense.
[Ord. No. 12-2025, eff. 7-9-2025]
(a) INVASIVE PLANT MANAGED NATURAL LANDSCAPE NATIVE GARDEN NATIVE PLANT POLLINATOR GARDEN RAIN GARDEN TURFGRASS LAWN
Definitions. As used in this Section, certain terms are defined as follows:
Means any plant species identified as invasive by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Pennsylvania Noxious Weed Act.
Means a planned, intentional, and maintained planting of plants native to Pennsylvania and its climate and soil conditions, including but not limited to rain, native, and pollinator gardens.
Means a planned, intentional planting of plants native to Pennsylvania and its climate and soil conditions.
Means any plant species that is indigenous to Pennsylvania and its ecoregions according to Level III of the Environmental Protection Agency's designated Ecoregions of North America. This shall include native trees, shrubs, vines, ferns, clubmosses, sedges, rushes, herbaceous perennials, and annuals.
Means a garden designed to support pollinators, such as butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds, by providing a variety of plant species that provide food, water, and shelter for pollinators.
Means an excavated shallow surface depression planted with specifically selected native plants to treat and capture runoff.
Means a lawn comprised of grasses commonly used in regularly cut or mowed lawns or active recreation areas, including but not limited to Kentucky bluegrass, rough bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, fine fescues, tall fescue, and bentgrasses.
(b)
Purpose. It is the purpose of this section to permit the maintenance of planned, managed natural landscaping that adds biodiversity, richness, and protection to the City's environment. It is a further purpose of this section to ensure proper maintenance of native plant growth and balance this with the environmental benefits of natural landscaping.
(c)
Right to install and maintain managed natural landscapes. An owner, authorized agent, or authorized occupant of any privately owned lands or premises may, consistent with this subsection and all other applicable laws, statutes, rules, and ordinances, install and maintain a managed natural landscape.
(d)
Requirements.
1.
Managed natural landscapes may include any native plants.
2.
Managed natural landscapes may include but are not limited to rain gardens, native gardens, and pollinator gardens, or any combination of these gardens.
3.
Managed natural landscapes shall have a distinct and clearly defined border, which may consist of any combination of mowed grass, fencing of up to four feet in height, a permitted fence installed along a property line, or materials arranged to create a defined edge to contain the managed natural landscape.
4.
Managed natural landscapes shall not include any plantings which, due to location, manner of growth, or encroachment into a right-of-way, constitute a hazard to the public or may cause injury or damage to persons or property when such growth is in violation of Chapter 1004 of this code.
5.
Managed natural landscapes shall not include any plant deemed to be a weed under Chapter 1004 of this code.
6.
Managed natural landscapes shall not include overgrowth of conventional turf-grass lawns, weeds, or any other unmanaged vegetation growth.
7.
Managed natural landscapes shall not include any plant species identified as invasive by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
8.
Managed natural landscapes shall not include plant species identified as Noxious by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
(e)
Registration.
1.
Any owner of record of a property, and any tenant upon signed, written consent of the property owner, must register their Managed Natural Landscape with the City department responsible for inspection of residential overgrowth violations. Registration shall include but not be limited to the following:
Either: | |
A. | A description of the managed natural landscape with an intended maintenance plan, including the location of the plantings in relation to property boundaries and rights of way, and |
B. | The species of plants intended to be planted and the square footage of the area(s) in which they will be planted. |
Or: | |
C. | A copy of certification documents from an organization which certifies managed natural landscapes, including but not limited to the Audubon Society Certified Backyard Habitat Program and Penn State Master Gardener Pollinator Friendly Habitat Certification. |
2.
The City department responsible for inspection of residential overgrowth violations shall have the authority to collect a fee for registration to cover the cost of implementation of the Managed Natural Landscape Registration program.
(f)
Review and Enforcement.
1.
The City department responsible for inspection of residential overgrowth violations may at any time determine that a managed natural landscape violates the terms of this section if the managed natural landscaping area is harboring vermin or other pests.
2.
Upon a finding of a violation of the terms of the section, the enforcement agency may require the owner, agent, or occupant of the property to cut and destroy the weeds or plant growth after service of a notice violation.
(g)
Effective Date. Unless otherwise specifically stated, the provisions of this Section shall become effective on January 1, 2026.