Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Code Enforcement Nuisance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Town staff proposes broader nuisance ordinance covering grass, snow and safety; board asks for exceptions and clearer enforcement language
Summary
Staff presented a draft plan to revise nuisance enforcement—covering grass, snow, and health and safety—asking the board to consider exclusions for ornamental gardens and a measured distance around dwellings; enforcement timing and exemptions remain to be clarified.
Town staff told the board they are preparing a consolidated nuisance ordinance that would address grass cutting, snow and ice, and health-and-safety issues, and asked for feedback on exemptions and enforcement timeframes.
Staff recommended adding exceptions for ornamental or certified gardens and suggested basing required clearing on a distance from a dwelling rather than a single across-the-lot rule. One board member recommended using a 50-foot buffer around structures as a starting point for fire-safety concerns; another said subdivision lots and lot sizes should factor into whether the entire lot must be maintained.
The board and staff discussed the difficulty of enforcing certain winter-snow rules because short-lived snow events can melt before enforcement actions are completed; staff said enforcement must be practical and targeted at chronic or hazardous cases. For nuisance grass, the draft would remain complaint-driven and include an enforcement timeline; staff noted earlier versions had inconsistencies (for example, a 24-hour snow standard but a 10-day remedy deadline) that will be reconciled.
Staff will prepare a revised draft ordinance that excludes unimproved lots for the immediate revision and proposes a subdivision/lot-size approach; the board asked for clearer enforcement language and for staff to circulate a new draft for review.
