When the grass reaches 12 inches tall, the City will notify property owners using the newspaper to satisfy State notice requirements. The notices will be published on consecutive days, Sundays and Mondays, and will give owners 10 days to cut their grass before the city hires a contractor to do the job. A lien for city expenses will be included on the property owner’s taxes if the charges are not paid in a timely manner. The city will also send a regular letter to homeowners as a courtesy and place all notices on its website.

Mayor Nic Hunter said property standards, including high grass, come up time and again in the City’s community meetings. “I have instructed our staff to take every legal measure to shorten the timeline for getting these properties mowed.”

State law requires that property owners receive notice of a violation and 5 days to address the issue. The City feels that a 10-day response period is more appropriate.  In the past, the City served notice via certified mail, a process that could be severely lengthened if the property owners decided not to sign for the letter.

“The city initiates roughly 3,800 grass cutting contracts each year. The city does not want to be in the grass cutting business nor the fining business; however, it simply is not fair to the rest of our citizens to allow a few properties with high grass to negatively impact our neighborhoods,” said Mayor Hunter.

“If your grass is 12 inches tall, the city should not have to remind you to mow your lawn. Part of being a responsible property owner is being a good neighbor; this holds true whether you are a corporation, a landlord, or a single family homeowner.  Lake Charles is a great community; let’s remind ourselves of that! I have pride in our city. I promise you, the City of Lake Charles will be working diligently to make sure all of our citizens can feel the same.”