(a) All property owners shall mow the banks and roadsides where the property is adjacent to or abuts a public street or roadway, municipal or state, in the township. In areas where there are no sidewalks or curbs, the owner shall mow to the edge of the pavement. This area shall be kept free of any weeds, grass or overgrowth growing over the curb, as well as weeds growing between the street and curbing. The mowing shall be accomplished as hereinafter stated.
(b) In residential areas, the entire lot on which the residence is located shall be kept mowed as a lawn, except such areas as are in use as a vegetable or flower garden, which shall contain no plants producing air-borne pollen. This includes the bank, the space between the sidewalk and the curb, where sidewalks and curbs exist, which shall be kept free of any weeds, grass or over growth growing across the sidewalk and/or over the curb, as well as any weeds, grass and overgrowth growing between the street and curbing.
(c) Vacant lots in residential areas shall be mowed a sufficient number of times so that the grass, weeds and other vegetation are never more than six inches in height.
(d) Clumps of bushes and weeds shall not be mowed around and left standing because the area is not suitable for mowing with a tractor or riding mower but shall be mowed or cut down by whatever means are applicable, except such trees or shrubbery that are ornamental in nature, in which case weeds and trash bushes shall be mowed from around those left for ornamental purposes.
(e) No person shall be permitted to neglect the mowing of his or her lawn and thereby detract from the generally good appearance of the neighborhood.
(f) Undeveloped land exceeding a normal lot size but which is devoid of trees shall be mowed at least once a month during the months of March through November. However, the banks along the road or streets shall be kept mowed so that at no time will these areas be allowed to grow to more than a height of six inches.
(g) Bushes and trees, or clumps of growth, will not be permitted to hang over sidewalks, walkways or roadways in such a way as to obstruct the vision of people traveling the road or walking along the road or to impede the view necessary for safe travel. Hedges shall not be permitted to grow to a height of over three feet for a distance of 50 feet from the point of intersection of any street or lot. Where the height of the land is such that the combined height would be over three feet, no hedge will be permitted within 25 feet of the point of intersection.
(h) Where farm land exists or where undeveloped property is being allowed to return to a wooded state, the banks and edge of the road shall be kept mowed so that they are at no time grown to a height of more than six inches for a distance of 15 feet from the edge of the paving.
(i) In cases of undeveloped land and/or woodland, the banks shall be kept mowed to a distance from the road that will permit compliance with the other provisions of this section, but in no case shall growth be permitted outside of a normal fence line whether or not a fence is in place. For the purposes of this section, a
FENCE LINE means five feet beyond the top of existing banks along the road when the banks are above the road, and the bottom of banks when the banks are below the road where the ground is level and there are no trees within 15 feet of the edge of the paving. The area must be kept mowed as mentioned above. If large trees exist within the 15-foot space, the growth around them shall be kept mowed and the limbs trimmed so that they do not present an obstacle to the free flow of traffic.
(j) In areas where the township or state maintains guardrails, the owner shall not be required to mow between the guardrail and the paving of the street or road.
(Ord. 530, passed 7-15-1981; Ord. 889, passed 11-17-2010; Ord. 907, passed 11-21-2012; Ord. 913, passed 3-20-2013)