8.20.010 Vegetation as a nuisance.
Vegetation left uncut and/or in an unkempt stage may cause safety hazards, fire hazards, and/or pest harborages, and may interfere with, annoy, injure or endanger the comfort, repose, health or safety of others, or unlawfully interfere with, obstruct or tend to obstruct, or render dangerous for passage a street or highway; or in any way render other persons insecure in life, or in the use and enjoyment of property, thus constituting a public nuisance.
A. Trees, plants, bushes, shrubs, vines, other vegetation or parts thereof which overhang any sidewalk, street, alley or other public way which are growing in such a manner as to cause a sight distance hazard or to obstruct or impair the full use of the sidewalk, street, alley or other public way are declared to be a public nuisance.
B. Trees, plants, bushes, shrubs, grasses, vines, other vegetation or parts thereof that are growing and/or grown and died and are now causing a fire hazard or menace to public health and safety, or are degrading or causing a decline of the character of the neighborhood are also declared to be a public nuisance.
C. Grasses (lawn) within the yards of occupied residential properties which are not maintained at a height of six inches or less are also declared to be a public nuisance; provided, that property within the RC residential conservancy zone shall be exempt from the provisions of this subsection.
D. Grasses, ground cover, and/or vines on lots, parcels, tracts or other property divisions, whether or not they are buildable, that are within or adjacent to developed areas which are not used for agricultural purposes, and are not part of a wetland or other sensitive environmental system, which are not maintained at a height of 12 inches or less are also declared to be a public nuisance; provided, that property within the RC residential conservancy zone shall be exempt from the provisions of this subsection.
E. Failure to maintain the trees, shrubs, ground cover, or grass of any landscaped area (that was required by the city to be planted) in a healthy, living condition shall be a public nuisance. Failure to replace any tree or shrub that has died is a public nuisance. It is also a public nuisance if landscaped areas are overgrown with weeds or unmaintained grass.
F. Any pruning of trees or shrubs (that were required by the city to be planted) shall be for the purpose of maintaining the tree or shrub in a healthy growing condition and/or to enhance its natural growing form. Excessive pruning of trees or shrubs that adversely affects the healthy living condition of the plant or excessively damages the natural growing form of the plant shall be a public nuisance; unless such pruning is done to alleviate documented public health and safety concerns. (Ord. 6515 § 1, 2014; Ord. 5747 § 3, 2003; Ord. 4504 § 9, 1991; Ord. 2981 § 2, 1976.)