It’s that time of year again where property owners in Jefferson need to be aware of the city’s grass ordinance.

City Building Official Chad Stevens says the ordinance does not allow grass to grow above eight inches in length. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio if a property is found to be in violation of the ordinance, he will first communicate with the property owner about the issue. Then if the property owner doesn’t address the problem, Stevens says he will issue a notice of the violation to the property owner.

“I only have to do that one time per season. If I post notice and you would not mow your yard the city crews could come in and mow it at a rate of $135 per hour with a one-hour minimum. Then I could mow that anytime for the rest of the year without serving any further notice, if it got over eight inches in length.”

However, Stevens points out he is always willing to work with property owners.

“I mean our city crews have lots of other things to do besides going out mowing people’s yards. That’s really kind of a last resort. If the public could really keep their yards on their own, we would appreciate that.”

Anyone with questions can contact City Hall at 515-386-3111.