Committee advances anti‑litter and weed enforcement measure requiring county to abate commercial properties

CB 31, an ordinance to expand how the county handles litter and overgrown weeds on commercial properties, was advanced out of the Prince George’s County Council Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee on June 9, 2025.

The measure directs the Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement to remove and dispose of litter and weeds on commercial properties where a responsible owner fails to comply after a one‑year noncompliance period, and to perform those disposal duties on a recurring schedule (every two weeks or once per month). The original draft required owners to pay 100% of disposal costs plus a 10% administrative fee, mandated automatic doubling of unpaid costs after a due date, and raised certain civil penalties; sponsor and staff said a revised Draft 2 removes the 10% administrative fee, the automatic doubling provision and the proposed increase in maximum civil fines.

Why it matters: Sponsor remarks and committee discussion framed the bill as a tool to address repeat commercial offenders and reduce repeated site visits by county inspectors. The measure would shift direct cleanup responsibility to county staff when property owners do not maintain commercial lots, with the owner ultimately responsible for disposal costs under the ordinance as presented to the committee.

Sponsor Council member Oriotta said the measure responds to “habitual bad actors in our community” and aims to create “a system where the commercial property pays for this service, but it gets done on a regular basis.”

Agency and staff input: Committee staff said Ramon Gonzales drafted Draft 2 and Alex Hertel prepared the policy analysis and fiscal impact statement. Staff also said the Office of Law provided form comments and that the County Executive’s office had not taken a position at the committee hearing. An agency representative indicated general support but requested an offline meeting to discuss technical, friendly amendments.

Vote and next steps: The clerk called the roll and the committee recorded four affirmative votes; the motion to move the bill favorably carried 4‑0. Committee members said they expect remaining technical clarifications and agency questions can be resolved before full council introduction.

What the bill does not do here: The committee did not adopt the original provisions increasing civil fines to $5,000, did not retain the 10% administrative fee, and removed the automatic doubling of unpaid costs; those items were described as removed in Draft 2. The committee did not receive a final cost estimate or a signed position from the County Executive at the hearing.

Taper: Committee members thanked the sponsor and moved the measure forward; staff said they would follow up with agencies to address technical points before introduction to the full council.