Code Enforcement for Grass

[Brian Larson]

Hello.  I need some advice.  We have a property in Westmoreland County with an adjacent vacant lot.  We maintain the property with the help of a local property manager.  The Property Management pay a local landscaper to cut the grass of the adjacent lot so we do not get cited.  We have had issues with this not being cut sometimes and we recently received a citation from the local municipality.  Our property management company claimed that they would address the issue.  They did not and now we have been fined.  Then, our property management offered to pay the fine but now we are having issues with the local municipality because they have fine us TWICE (once for me and once for my wife).

My question to the forum is -- How is this legal?  Code enforcement can't fine each owner a separate fine for the same issue, can they?  This is crazy for slightly overgrown grass.  Has anyone else dealt with this before?  If so, any advice?  This entire thing just seems like a scheme to make more money for the small township.

[Randall Alan]

Quote from @Brian Larson:

Hello.  I need some advice.  We have a property in Westmoreland County with an adjacent vacant lot.  We maintain the property with the help of a local property manager.  The Property Management pay a local landscaper to cut the grass of the adjacent lot so we do not get cited.  We have had issues with this not being cut sometimes and we recently received a citation from the local municipality.  Our property management company claimed that they would address the issue.  They did not and now we have been fined.  Then, our property management offered to pay the fine but now we are having issues with the local municipality because they have fine us TWICE (once for me and once for my wife).

My question to the forum is -- How is this legal?  Code enforcement can't fine each owner a separate fine for the same issue, can they?  This is crazy for slightly overgrown grass.  Has anyone else dealt with this before?  If so, any advice?  This entire thing just seems like a scheme to make more money for the small township.

@Brian Larson

I would reach out to the code enforcement officer and discuss it with them.  We have 37 rentals… and hear from code enforcement more than we want to.  Our experience has almost always been that they are very easy to work with.  

If you are getting fined, it would likely mean that multiple warnings were ignored.  They usually ask nicely first, then ask again, before getting to the fines.  So some of this seems self-inflicted… but regardless, they really are less in it for the money and mostly just want a nice looking community.   The money is there to get your attention and also the next step in the enforcement process… which eventually gets to placing a lien on your property for multiple ignored fines where they will eventually mow it for you for a price about 10 times what you could have done it for yourself. 

If you reach out and play the “I don’t know  how this could have happened, we have a property manager and they should have addressed this” ‘card’, I bet you will get a person who will offer you advice and assistance on what your options are - including on how to minimize and / or negate the fines.  Most code enforcement fines I have seen can be knocked way down with a promise (and action) of compliance.  In my town they will reduce them be 90% on a regular basis.   

Be proactive, be nice, and you will likely find an easier solution than you think.

All the best!

Randy