Long Grass Won’t Cut it with Iowa Ban

Residents in De Soto, Iowa, might want to sharpen the blade on the old lawn mower.

City officials have issued a ban on grass over 6 inches tall. It’s no joke – and neither is the bill you’ll get if workers have to come out and mow it for you.

Mayor Marty Glanz said the new ordinance gives the city ammunition when people complain about their neighbors’ lawn care habits.

“There was a situation or two when an individual hadn’t mowed their yard,” but there was no ordinance to address the problem, Glanz said. “There were some people surprised that we didn’t have one on the books already.”

Many Iowa communities regulate unsightly properties. Most ordinances are aimed at weeds in neglected vacant lots. Altoona has a 9-inch limit. Urbandale and Cedar Rapids have 12-inch limits. The maximum height is 18 inches.

Glanz said violators of the 6-inch law in De Soto will be warned before city crews spring into action – at about $20 per hour, the actual cost of labor and equipment.

A healthy lawn should be maintained at a 2- or 3-inch level, said Nick Christians, a horticulture professor at Iowa State University.

“Six would be excessive,” he said. “It starts to lay over at four.”

Source: The Des Moines Register