Each and every premises shall be kept free of all nuisances, health, safety and fire hazards, unsanitary conditions and infestation. It shall be the duty of the responsible party to keep the premises free of all conditions and to promptly remove and abate same, which include, but are not limited to, the following declared nuisances:
(A) Weeds or grasses allowed to grow to a height greater than 12 inches on the average, or any accumulation of dead weeds or grass that are exposed to public view, on any non-farm property which is not within the jurisdiction of the County Weed Commissioner. This provision shall not apply to prairies, wetlands or similar areas of naturalized perennial vegetation which are certified by an Enforcement Officer to not constitute a nuisance;
(B) Accumulation of refuse to the prejudice of others;
(C) Any structure which is in a dilapidated condition that it is unfit for human habitation or the use for which it was constructed; kept in an unsanitary condition that it is a menace to the health of people residing therein or in the vicinity thereof; any structure defined as a dangerous building by the most-current edition of the Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings, as published by the International Conference of Building Officials; or any building that is defined as abandoned or a public nuisance by Iowa Code Chapter 657A;
(D) Any inoperable vehicle which is exposed to public view, unless located on the premises of a lawfully operated junk yard or undergoing repairs in an expeditious manner at a vehicle repair business;
(E) Mud, dirt, gravel or other debris or matter, whether organic or inorganic, deposited upon public property in a quantity judged by an Enforcement Officer to be a threat to public safety or to cause pollution, obstruction or siltation of drainage systems, or to violate solid waste disposal regulations;
(F) (1) Failure to establish a permanent cover of perennial grasses or ornamental ground cover on any non-farm property as soon as practical after any construction, and to thereafter maintain same in a condition as to substantially bind the surface of the soil and prevent erosion, whether by sheet or gullying, or by wind or water; and
(2) Exceptions shall be permitted for densely shaded areas, landscape beds and gardens; provided that vegetable gardens and agricultural crops shall not be placed in the front yard of a non-farm property, unless it can be demonstrated that no other viable location exists on the premises because of topography, natural vegetation or similar circumstances out of the resident’s control.
(G) Any nuisance as defined herein or described as such by Iowa Code Chapter 657;
(H) Any alteration, modification or obstruction which prevents, obstructs or impedes the normal flow of runoff from adjacent lands, or any alteration or modification which substantially concentrates or increases the flow of water onto an adjoining premises to the extent of damaging or saturating the premises;
(I) Conditions which are conducive to the harborage or breeding of vermin;
(J) Facilities for the storage or processing of sewage, such as privies, vaults, sewers, private drains, septic tanks, cesspools and drain fields, which have failed or do not function properly, as may be evidenced by overflow, leakage, seepage or emanation of odors, or which do not comply with the Polk or Dallas County Department of Health regulations, as applicable. Septic tanks, cisterns and cesspools which are no longer in use shall be removed, or emptied and filled with clean dirt or sand;
(K) Vehicles parked on the lawn or other unpaved surface in a yard exposed to public view;
(L) Fences or retaining walls that are not structurally sound or which are deteriorating, as may be evidenced by leaning or loose elements;
(M) Dead or diseased trees or other woody vegetation which may lead to the spread of the disease to other specimens or pose a threat to safety or buildings; major parts thereof, such as a limb, which may be dead or broken or otherwise pose a threat to safety or buildings on adjoining premises; any vegetation located on private property which overhangs and is less than 15 feet above the traveled portion of any public street, or less than seven feet vertically, or which protrudes into any public sidewalk; and
(N) Loose, overhanging objects or accumulations of ice or snow, which by reason of location above ground level constitute a danger of falling on persons in the vicinity thereof.
(Title VI, Ch. 6, § 2.02) Penalty, see § 154.99