Milton Township Ordinance No. O-26-04 establishes requirements for the maintenance, cutting, trimming, and removal of grass, weeds, bushes, trees, and other nuisance greenery in the unincorporated areas of Milton Township.

 

Grass and weeds located in residential areas of unincorporated Milton Township must be maintained at a height of eight inches or less. Grass or weeds exceeding eight inches are considered a nuisance and may not be permitted to grow or remain on the property.

 

Property owners are responsible for maintaining trees, bushes, and other greenery on their property. Trees or bushes that are dead, broken, damaged, or overgrown, and that may adversely affect or pose a threat to the health, safety, or welfare of residents or their property are considered a nuisance.

 

Nuisance greenery may also include invasive weeds or plants, deceased or infested greenery, vegetation extending beyond the property line, or greenery that creates a hazardous condition.

 

Nuisance bushes, trees, or greenery may not remain within a Milton Township right-of-way. This includes vegetation originating on private property that is placed in, piled in, or extends into Township roads or streets.

 

When a property is found to violate the ordinance, the Township Supervisor or Township Clerk may issue a Notice to Abate to the property owner.

The notice will identify the nuisance and set a deadline to correct the violation. The deadline may not be later than 10 days from the notice date.

 

If the nuisance is not corrected within the time provided, Milton Township may have Township employees or an independent contractor cut or remove the grass, weeds, bushes, trees, or other vegetation causing the nuisance.

 

The property owner is responsible for the reasonable costs and expenses associated with the work. These costs may include labor, vehicles, equipment, disposal, contractor expenses, Township supervision, and, when necessary, security expenses.

 

The Township does not regularly engage in providing lawn services. The costs for allocating staff towards these additional responsibilities are prohibitive by design, utilizing labor costs at prevailing wage rates and hourly costs for associated equipment. For 2026-2027 the following costs will be utilized per worker and per piece of equipment per hour or fraction thereof, with a minimum charge of $250 for mowing:

Costs Milton Township incurs to correct a violation may become a lien against the property.

 

The Township may pursue foreclosure of the lien as permitted by law and may recover reasonable attorneys' fees and other related expenses. The Township may also pursue a civil action to recover amounts owed for services performed under the ordinance.

Applicability

 

This ordinance applies to areas of Milton Township that are outside the corporate boundaries of a municipality. Ordinance No. O-26-04 replaces the Township's previous Weed and Grass Ordinance, Ordinance No. O-11-8.

 

For additional information about the Weed and Grass Ordinance or enforcement procedures, please contact Milton Township at (630)668-1616.