How Tall Can Your Grass Be in Rockford?

The City of Rockford is encouraging you to rat out your neighbors who don't cut their grass. Seriously!

With spring here, your grass has finally started to grow and this year, if your lawn is like mine, it is growing fast. In fact, my lawn grew so much, that I spent Easter Sunday mowing my lawn for the first time. The grass on the side of my house was 8" tall, but I got it done, after restarting the mower about twenty times.

Do you have a neighbor that refuses to mow his or her lawn? If so, the City of Rockford wants you to snitch on your neighbor. In a posting on Facebook, the city is asking you to turn in your neighbors who have grass taller than 10 inches. Rockford has what it calls the "Neighborhood Standards Service" service. Citizens can file complaints by anonymously entering a 'Neighborhood Standards Service Request' for weeds and tall grass from the City’s website 

Rockford Grass ordinance states:

City of Rockford’s Property Maintenance Code Section 302.4 and Code of Ordinances, Section 17-1 and 17-2; that all premises and exterior property areas shall be maintained and free from weeds and grasses in excess of 10 inches in height. This does not include cultivated flowers and gardens. In addition, section 26-17 of the City of Rockford Code of Ordinances requires that property owners maintain any vegetation growth in abutting right of way areas.

The city also has the City of Rockford Weeds Hotline which you can call at 779-348-7161. I tried calling that number, but no one answers. Hmmmmm....

No word on if a reward is being offered for reporting your neighbor for violating the 10" grass rule, but something tells me the city might be looking to collect fines.