The maintenance of the property, including mowing the lawn, is governed by the municipalities of PEI, so the height you can let grow depends on where you live.
Venassa Bernard-Smith, who lives in Charlottetown, was surprised to find out how short the grass could be and still deserves the warning of the statute officer.
“We didn’t really think the grass was remarkable. Like, yes, it could have been cut, but it wasn’t anything that was on top,” Bernard-Smith said.
Some type of lawn maintenance is required in most PEI municipalities. (Gabe Smith / Shutterstock)
The lawn height limit in Charlottetown City Ordinance is 150 millimeters, but like other communities on the island, you will not receive a warning unless one of your neighbors complains.
Charlottetown has one of the shortest lawn requirements on the island. The one in Cornwall is the same, while Summerside, Stratford and Kensington allow up to 200 millimeters.
Souris and Three Rivers simply say the grass “should be kept.”
No municipality has a specific ordinance designed to keep the lawn tidy. The rules are part of the statutes of unsightly or unsafe premises, which cover how buildings are maintained and the type of things you can store in your garden.
Cornwall County. Judy Herlihy said the city rarely receives complaints only about grass.
Lawns can be great at PEI (Posted by Matt Llewellyn)
“It would probably be more of an unsightly property once it catches the city’s attention,” Herlihy said.
“Structures that may not be safe or, you know, garbage, garbage, garbage, machinery out there. So the ordinance itself is much broader than just the lawn.”
Fines for ignoring a warning in Charlottetown start at $ 300 and can reach $ 2,250 for repeat offenders. Cornwall’s statutes include the possibility of going to prison.
It’s not a lawn, it’s a meadow
Some municipalities, in the face of movements such as “No Mow May” and naturalized lawns, are reconsidering their statutes to be more flexible.
The Cornwall Environment Committee is reviewing its statute with the aim of making it more friendly to natural grass. Charlottetown is also reviewing, but more for clarity than for naturalization.
Stratford tells CBC News that its bylaws are already open to naturalization of the lawn by residents, who may request that part of their property be declared a meadow.
They must fill out the decision application form on the city’s website and Stratford Horticulture will review the plan and then approve or reject it. The city council said so far, no one has come forward.
And as for the notice Bernard-Smith received, as he lives in an apartment building, he passed it on to his owner, and he did cut the grass.