Council adopts ordinance tightening enforcement on overgrown lots

The Vincennes Common Council on June 8 adopted Ordinance 9, 2026, amending municipal code section 95.15 to clarify enforcement against unmaintained lots and certain noxious weeds.

The change responds to repeated complaints from residents about sight‑line hazards, pests and properties left to grow “six‑foot tall” grass, which staff said interferes with visibility and neighbor safety. Brad, a staff member, summarized the enforcement intent, saying council had received calls about tall grass and that the ordinance would let the city mow properties left unmaintained: “We got six foot tall grass out here… I got to keep my grass six inches tall. Why do they get to let theirs grow up six foot tall?”

Council members pressed staff on how the ordinance will distinguish deliberate prairie/native plantings and butterfly/ornamental plantings from nuisance growth. Brad and other council members discussed defining “maintained” and the possibility of a permit process for demonstration prairie or pollinator landscaping. One councillor said some ordinances elsewhere require edging and mulching for certain species; others said they preferred a more flexible starting point and to revise the code later if problems arise.

President Grove moved the ordinance through second and third readings; roll‑call votes on the recorded readings were affirmative. The discussion indicates the council intends to balance enforcement against clearly unmaintained lots with protections for permitted environmental plantings, and the ordinance’s text (as adopted) leaves room for future refinement and permitting language.

Next steps: the ordinance passed council readings at the June 8 meeting and will take effect according to municipal adoption procedures and any subsequent codification steps.