City Dispatches Mowing Crews to Neglected Properties

The City’s Department of Code Enforcement (DCE) dispatched mowing crews to neglected properties today. Nearly 800 notices of violation have been sent to properties with weeds and grass over 12 inches in height.

“High weeds and grass calls to the Mayor’s Action Center are among the top calls each season, and the City is prepared to tackle these issues before they become a public nuisance,” said Mayor Greg Ballard. “Effectively addressing high weeds and grass and other property maintenance issues can mean the difference between a blighted neighborhood and a vibrant, safe, thriving neighborhood – the kind every citizen deserves.”

Property owners receiving a notice of violation will have five days from the date of the notice to cut their overgrown property. If a property owner fails to mow the property, the City will dispatch a mowing vendor to cut the property and will bill the owner a minimum of $291 for the mowing service. Additional costs can be assessed for lots over an acre or for additional clean-up.

The City is only required to issue one notice of violation per calendar year for a property in violation of high weeds and grass. If a property owner fails to keep the property in compliance, the City will continue to mow the property without further notice and bill the owner for each time the property is mowed.

Property owners who fail to pay a mowing invoice will have a lien attached to their property tax bill.

“DCE is equipped with a full-time inspection staff and 12 contract mowing vendors to tackle problem properties this season,” said Rick Powers, Director of the Department of Code Enforcement. “Major process improvements made last year enabled us to respond more quickly to a record number of high weeds and grass cases, investigating 14,114 properties, completing 9,101 mows, and decreasing the average call-to-cut time from 42 to 16 days.”

To report a property with high weeds and grass, please contact the Mayor’s Action Center at 327-4MAC (4622). Be prepared to provide an exact address and any identifying features of the property. A weekly report of properties in violation will be updated every Monday to the DCE website and can be accessed at www.indy.gov/dce. To track the status of a high weeds and grass case, please access the case research tool at www.indy.gov/dce/research.