City staff told the Ames City Council on Aug. 5 that a year and a half of enforcing the city’s consolidated nuisance ordinance has generated steady complaint volumes and exposed gaps the city may want to close.
Staff presented data compiled from 2023 through 2025 and identified a dozen topics the mayor had asked them to review, including how to handle vermin and infestations, outdoor storage and accumulated items, overgrown vegetation, junked vehicles, items in the public right-of-way, recreational vehicles parked more than 72 hours, vacant and abandoned structures, and ways to help homeowners who cannot afford large abatements.
Staff said the ordinance is working in many respects because a consistent fee structure and a compiled complaint log make public education and case tracking easier. But they said about 20% of complaints since the ordinance took effect are the two provisions added in the recodification: dangerous trees and grass-height rules. The department’s presentation also emphasized that current enforcement is complaint-driven: staff do not proactively inspect neighborhoods but respond to requests received via the city’s AIMS mobile system or direct calls.
On vermin, staff said earlier attempts to include a ‘‘conditions that harbor vermin’’ clause failed because neighbors disagreed about what counts as a habitat versus a nuisance. Staff shared photos of a vacant property where animal-control officers confirmed raccoons inside the building; they said the municipality can only evaluate hazards visible from the public way and cannot enter private property except with permission or a warrant. Staff asked whether council wants to pursue language that would prohibit infestations (numerical/observable evidence of animals) rather than generalized ‘‘habitat’’ language that could be interpreted as permitting natural burrows or landscaping.
On outdoor storage, staff said the current code focuses on household furniture and appliances and is hard to apply to items such as tarped hot tubs, piles of bicycles, or accumulations of miscellaneous goods. Staff suggested a threshold-style approach could be drafted — for example, enforcement when the number or the volume of items exceeds a set amount — and said they would study how other cities define ‘‘accumulation.’'
On overgrown vegetation, staff noted the code differentiates noxious weeds and turf (12-inch maximum). They said a right-of-way standard is missing and that several photos presented show vegetation that is technically compliant but that neighbors expect to be kept lower in the park-strip between curb and sidewalk. Staff recommended possible clarifications about the line between intended natural landscaping and noncompliant unmaintained turf.
Regarding junked vehicles, staff said their current definition mirrors other jurisdictions (registration, operability, missing major components) but is difficult to prove from the public way. They said judges sometimes accept sequential photos showing lack of movement; at other times a warrant or permission to inspect is required to verify engine or other internal components. Council members suggested considering a lower threshold (for example, missing one or more wheels) to identify clearly inoperable vehicles, while staff recommended caution so enforcement remains legally defensible.
Items in the public right-of-way present separate logistics: staff said some items are clearly dangerous and removable by the city, but the department lacks a standardized process for how long seized items must be stored, where they are kept, and how owners reclaim them. Council asked staff to bring a policy option to define removal authority, storage, owner notification and retrieval timelines, and cost recovery.
Recreational vehicles: staff noted the ordinance allows RVs to be stored in backyards or side yards on permitted surfaces and prohibits front-yard long-term storage beyond 72 hours. Because people regularly use RVs in summer and occasionally exceed the 72-hour limit during loading/unloading, staff suggested a seasonal driveway exemption (for example, April–October) to reduce enforcement ambiguity.
Vacant and abandoned properties: staff described a November 2024 staff report that explored a property-registration program and an Iowa statutory mechanism (Iowa Code section 657A) that permits petitioning a court to transfer deed when a structure is abandoned and the jurisdiction can prove abandonment criteria. Staff said establishing a registration program could provide updated contact information and fee structures used by some jurisdictions to charge owners for complaint-driven inspections.
Throughout the presentation staff repeatedly emphasized: they will seek voluntary compliance first. Citations are used as a last resort, frequently to establish access for staff or court abatement if other notices and contacts fail. Staff also said the practical effect of some remedies is limited by costs; for example, large tree removals can exceed $10,000 for a single property, complicating how far the city can go before resorting to liens or court-ordered abatement.
Council action and staff follow-up
Council voted to have staff draft and return with ordinance language and policy options for several items. For vermin, council declined a broad habitat prohibition and instead directed staff to draft language narrowly focused on vermin infestations and to start public and legal review. Council also asked staff to return with options on outdoor storage, items in the right-of-way (including disposition policy), a possible seasonal RV driveway exemption, a grant/loan option to help low-income homeowners with abatement costs, clarifying junked-vehicle criteria, and the possibility of a property-registration program for vacant structures. Several council members emphasized that any changes should preserve the ordinance’s goal of education and voluntary compliance and that staff should return with draft text, costs, and enforcement procedures for each option.
Why it matters
The nuisance ordinance touches daily life (curbside furniture, tall grass, junked vehicles) and balances neighbors’ expectations, property rights and the city’s enforcement capacity. Council’s direction to staff is a deliberate, incremental approach: keep the complaint-driven, education-first posture, while returning concrete policy options for the council to vet in public meetings.
What’s next
Staff will prepare draft ordinance language and policy options for council review on the topics council asked to explore, and the department said it will also provide a breakdown of complaints by rental vs. owner-occupied properties at the council’s request.