The following enumerated and described conditions are hereby found, deemed and declared to constitute a detriment, danger and hazard to the public health and the public safety of the inhabitants of the city and are found, deemed and declared to be public nuisances wherever the same may exist, and the creation, maintenance or failure to abate any nuisances is hereby declared unlawful:
(A) Any condition which is a breeding ground or harbor for rodents, harmful insects, or other pests;
(B) A place of dense growth of weeds, grass or other noxious vegetation exceeding ten inches in height, provided this condition shall not apply to those lands certified, dedicated or designated by the city or other appropriate governmental agency as vegetative buffer, floodplain, stream buffer, open space or other natural or environmentally sensitive area established to protect the public or protect and preserve natural greenways, floodways, streams or water quality. The following exceptions shall also apply for lots exceeding one acre in size:
(1) These lots shall be maintained to a depth of 20 feet from the improved road surface for all dense growth and noxious vegetation.
(2) If and only if the adjacent property is occupied by a building or structure, lots exceeding one acre or vacant undeveloped lots shall be maintained to a depth of 100 feet from the side and rear property lines for all dense growth and noxious vegetation;
(C) The growth of shrubs, vines or other vegetation on one’s commercial or residential lot in such a manner as to allow such shrubs, vines or other vegetation to become a breeding ground or harbor for rodents, harmful insects or other pests, a collecting place for trash and litter, or a fire hazard. This subsection does not apply to lots using shrubs, vines or vegetation as a perimeter wall or barrier as long as such does not become a nuisance;
(D) A concentrated growth of kudzu, poison sumac (Rhus vernix), poison ivy (Rhus radicans), poison oak (Rhus toxicondendron) or other noxious vegetation, other than kudzu or noxious vegetation growing in a heavily wooded lot unless such growth from the heavily wooded lot is:
(1) Encroaching upon any adjoining property with a building or structure. Removal of any noxious vegetation found overhanging onto adjoining properties shall be the responsibility of said adjoining property owner(s);
(2) Encroaching upon the sidewalk, the driveway, or the curb or edge of the pavement of any abutting street; or
(3) A focal point for any other nuisance enumerated in this Code;
(E) Any concentration of rubbish, trash, junk, mattresses, boxes, old clothes, rags or any other combustible material or objects of like kind causing or threatening to cause a fire hazard; or causing or threatening to cause the accumulation of stagnant water; or causing or threatening to cause the inhabitation therein of mosquitoes, rats, mice, snakes or vermin of any kind, or any other condition which poses a public health nuisance or safety hazard;
(F) Any accumulation of fallen trees, dead trees, sections of tree trunks or tree limbs on a parcel of land, provided this condition shall not apply to natural accumulations on parcels of land or portions thereof that are considered a heavily wooded lot;
(G) The open storage of building material, firewood or other similar materials not elevated a minimum of six inches off the ground;
(H) An open place of collection of garbage, food waste, animal waste, yard waste or any other rotten or putrescible matter of any kind; however, nothing in this subsection shall be construed to prevent the generally accepted use of a properly maintained compost pile or storage of animal manure being used as fertilizer for lawns and gardens and for other agricultural or horticultural purposes;
(I) Any household or office furniture, appliances or other metal products of any kind kept in open places or any indoor upholstered furniture kept outside in a location exposed to the weather; likewise, plywood board; construction materials; saw horses; tubes and pipes; or rigid materials suspended between two supports so as to be used as a table in any yard, alley, front porch, or in any other outside area viewed from a public street or walkway, alley, or other public property;
(J) Any products which have jagged edges of metal or glass or areas of confinement kept in open places;
(K) The presence, accumulation, storage or placement of junk, including but not limited to, deteriorated, unusable or inoperative furniture, appliances, machinery, equipment, building materials, worn out and disused automobiles or parts, tires or any other man-made items which are either in whole, or in part, wrecked, junked, disused, worn out, dismantled or inoperative.
(1) Storage of junk shall only be allowed on any properties used for nonresidential purposes if completely enclosed within a building or otherwise evenly placed or neatly stacked and concealed by a solid fence, cover or other means so as to not be visible at the property line from abutting properties or a public street.
(2) Storage of junk shall only be allowed on any property used for residential purposes if completely stored in an enclosed building or completely concealed by a solid fence, cover or other means so as not to be visible at the property line from abutting properties or a public street, concentrated in one area within the rear yard and neatly arranged or stacked so as not to exceed six feet in height.
(3) Whether stored on a residential or nonresidential property such storage of junk shall be maintained in such a manner so as to prevent overgrown grass or weeds or an infestation of wild animals, reptiles, rodents or harmful insects;
(L) Any swimming pool or its accessories which are dangerous or prejudicial to public health and safety, including but not limited to pools with stagnant water, debris, dead animals or structural deficiencies;
(M) Any condition whereby any fence, sign, billboard, shrubbery, bush, tree, mailbox or other object or combination of objects which obstructs the view of motorists using any street, private driveway or approach to any street intersection adjacent to and abutting such and so as to constitute a traffic hazard as a condition dangerous to public safety upon any such street, private driveway or at any such street intersection;
(N) Any fence or perimeter wall, as determined by the Director of Planning and Development Services or their designee, which through neglect, lack of repair, type or manner of construction, method of placement or otherwise, becomes undesirable or constitutes a hazard or endangers any person, animal or property;
(O) Any improper or inadequate drainage, as determined by the City Engineer, on private property which causes flooding, interferes with the use of or endangers in any way the streets, sidewalks, parks or other city-owned property of any kind;
(P) Any condition, as determined by the City Engineer, which blocks, hinders or obstructs in any way the natural flow of branches, streams, creeks, surface waters, ditches or drains;
(Q) Any stormwater retention or impoundment device which is operating improperly, as determined by the City Engineer;
(R) Any unlawful disposal, placement, emptying, dumping, spillage, leakage, pumping, pouring, emission or other discharge of any substance other than stormwater, unless associated with permitted activity as identified in section 9-9-16(A), into a stormwater conveyance, the waters of the state or upon the land in such proximity to the same, such that the substance is likely to reach a stormwater conveyance or the waters of the state or any unlawful connection that allows the discharge of non-stormwater to the stormwater conveyance system or waters of the state in violation of Chapter 9 of Title 9 of the Greenville City Code;
(S) A condition which occurs when a tenant leaves leased property either voluntarily or involuntarily (including but not limited to ejectment or other landlord removal action) and leaves or abandons trash, debris and property and the owner or property manager fails to remove the trash, debris or property from the leased property within 24 hours after the voluntary or involuntary removal of the tenant;
(T) Any place of growth of shrubs, trees or other vegetation that impedes public safety vehicle and firefighting equipment ingress and egress in the following locations that are utilized as public safety vehicle and firefighting equipment access routes and areas: private street easements, private drives, parking lots and/or drive isles, fire hydrant easements, designated fire lanes or other public vehicular areas;
(U) Nuisance vehicle violation(s) as regulated by G.S. 160A-303; provided, the process for abating the nuisance vehicle shall be as provided for in Title 12, Chapter 4 of this Code;
(Ord. No. 06-127, §§ 2, 3, passed 12-14-2006; Ord. No. 09-03, § 1, 2, passed 1-8-2009; Ord. No. 09-39, § 4, 5, passed 5-14-2009; Ord. No. 21-010, § 3, passed 2-15-2021; Ord. No. 23-040, § 1, passed 5-11-2023; Ord. No. 23-083, § 1, passed 12-14-2023)