(a) Any person owning or having charge of land within the municipality shall keep such property free and clear from all noxious weeds and rank vegetation and shall be required to cut all such weeds and vegetation on the lots owned or controlled by such person.
(b) Noxious weeds and rank vegetation shall include but not be limited to:
(1) Any weeds such as the following:
Noxious Weeds | ||
Apple of Peru | Hedge Bindweed | Purple Loosestrife |
Buckhorn | Hoary Cress | Quackgrass |
Canada Thistle | Horsenettle | Russian Knapweed |
Corncockle | Johnsongrass | Russian Thistle |
Cressleaf Groundsel | Leafy Spurge | Serrated Tussock |
Curly Dock | Marestail | Shatter Cane |
Dodder | Mile-A-Minute | Weed Wild Carrot |
Field Bindweed | Musk Thistle | Wild Garlic |
French Weed | Oxeye Daisy | Wild Mustard |
Giant Hogweed | Perennial Sowthistle | Wild Onion |
Hairy Whitetop | Poison Hemlock | Wild Parsnip |
(Ord. 41-06. Passed 3-20-06.)
(2) Any weeds, grass, or plants, other than trees, bushes, flowers, or other ornamental plants, growing to a height exceeding 10 inches.
(c) Upon written information that noxious weeds are growing on lands in the municipality and are about to spread or mature seeds, council (through its clerk) shall cause written notice to be served on the owner, lessee, agent, or tenant having charge of such land, notifying such person that noxious weeds are growing on such lands and that they must be cut and destroyed within five days after service of such notice.
(d) If the owner or the other person having charge of the land is a nonresident of the municipality whose address is known, the notice shall be sent to his or her address by certified mail. If the address of the owner or other person having charge of the land is unknown it is sufficient to publish the notice once in a newspaper of general circulation in the county.
(e) This section does not apply to land being used under a municipal building or construction permit or license, a municipal permit or license, or a conditional zoning permit or variance to operate a junkyard, scrap metal processing facility, or similar business, or a permit or license issued pursuant to Ohio R.C. Ch. 3734, Ohio R.C. 4737.05 to 4737.12, or Ohio R.C. Ch. 6111.
(f) Any police officer, or the Clerk of Council, may make service and return of the notice provided for in subsection (c) hereof.
(Ord. 9-06. Passed 3-20-06.)
(g) If the owner, lessee, agent or tenant having charge of the lands mentioned in subsection (c) hereof fails to comply with the notice required by such section, Council (through its Clerk) shall cause such noxious weeds to be cut and destroyed and may employ the necessary labor to perform the task. All expenses incurred shall be paid out of the money in the treasury of the Municipality not otherwise appropriated. Such costs shall be at the owner’s expense, and that cost, together with an administrative fee of $100 shall be assessed against the lot or land.
(Ord. 33-2014. Passed 11-3-14.)
(h) The council, (through its clerk) shall make a written return to the County Auditor of its action under subsections (c) through (g) hereof with a statement of the charges for the services, the administrative costs incurred, the amount paid for labor, and a proper description of the premises. These amounts, when allowed, shall be entered upon the tax duplicate and be a lien upon such lands from and after the date of entry and be collected as other taxes and returned to the Municipality’s general fund.
(Ord. 14-2008. Passed 6-2-08.)