Real estate or portions of real estate which fall within one or more of the following classifications are exempt from the provision of § 93.101:
(A) A natural wooded area, wetland or floodplain area;
(B) Native prairie or meadow areas;
(C) Land that is currently used for agricultural purposes, except as follows:
(1) Agricultural crops shall be harvested at least annually and hay ground shall be mowed at least twice each summer in June and August.
(a) Property owners who intend to raise hay on their ground and thus qualify for this exemption shall notify the city by April 1 of each year of their intentions.
(b) The property of the County Fair Association used for parking and campground located north of 18th Avenue West shall be required to be mowed only once each year, prior to the County Fair.
(2) Public street right-of-way adjacent to land currently used for agricultural purposes shall be maintained as required in § 93.101.
(D) Those land areas which because of slope, obstacles or standing water are impractical or unsafe to cut or mow;
(E) Any land which has been granted an exemption by the Parks and Recreation Director or his or her designee;
(F) Landscape or areas of natural vegetation which are planned, defined, controlled and maintained by the property owner;
(G) Land under the control of the State Department of Natural Resources or the County Conservation Commission and land under the control of the Park Board, which is designated as natural or native;
(H) Active railroad right-of-way, except that adjacent public street right-of-way shall be maintained as required in § 93.101; and
(I) The owner of property adjacent to a city street which includes a center median is not required to maintain this center median area. Center medians are maintained by the Parks Department and citizen volunteers.
(Prior Code, § 4-2-5) (Ord. 658, passed 8-6-2007; Ord. 706, passed 7-6-2010)