Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Landscaping Enforcement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Moore council adopts ordinance allowing city-contracted plantings, charges to water bills for persistent landscaping violations
Summary
The Moore City Council approved Ordinance No. 37-25 to enforce commercial landscaping requirements, allowing the city to hire contractors to plant required trees and shrubs and bill owners via the water bill; administrative abatement fee set at $300.
Moore City Council on June 2 approved Ordinance No. 37-25, amending the Moore Land Development Code to create a formal enforcement and abatement procedure for required landscaping on commercial properties. The ordinance authorizes the city to hire contractors to install trees and shrubs on properties that fail to comply after notice and to place the abatement charge on the property’s water bill instead of filing a lien.
City staff said the change follows rounds of commercial landscaping inspections. "This ordinance would allow the city to hire contractors to have the appropriate amount of trees and shrubs planted for them. And then we would bill the occupants or the property owners," said Elizabeth, a city staff member presenting the item.
The ordinance creates a distinct abatement process for landscaping violations and sets an administrative fee of $300 per abatement, higher than the city’s $150 fee for a regular trash-and-litter abatement. Staff said the higher fee reflects additional coordination with contractors, site meetings and utility markings required for planting.
City staff reported 260 commercial property inspections during the week of April 14, 2025, 11 more than were performed in October 2024. Inspectors found 34 properties still in violation at the time of the presentation; 17 properties that were cited in October 2024 have since cured their violations, staff said. The presentation said the city relies first on existing tools — building and occupancy permits, licensing checks and other enforcement channels — and proposed this ordinance as a last resort when owners decline to make required landscaping improvements.
Under the proposal, staff said the abatement timeline would mirror existing code enforcement abatement procedures: after passage the city would notify owners of the new ordinance, allow time for planting (the presentation referenced fall and winter as acceptable planting windows), and then post a 30-day notice on the property and mail notice to the owner before abating.
Councilmembers praised the proposal as a means to hold out-of-state owners and absentee managers accountable. "A lot of work went into this, and I think it's great. People and all these businesses managed to do it in other municipalities. I don't see why they can't do it in ours," Councilmember Kathy Griffith said. Other councilmembers likewise spoke in support before the council voted.
The council voted to approve the ordinance by unanimous voice vote. The ordinance’s language amends Part 12, Chapter 4, Article G of the Moore Land Development Code by updating Section 12-4-58 and adding Section 12-4-58.1 to establish enforcement procedures and abatement authority.
City staff emphasized that the preference remains voluntary compliance through permit and licensing checks, and that abatement would be used when owners refuse to bring properties into compliance.
The city did not specify the list of properties slated for immediate abatement; staff said notices would be mailed to property owners (many of whom the staff said are located out of state) and posted on properties before any contractor work and billing occurs.
