UNTIDY LAWNS - Many Chicago Suburbs Crack Down!
TIDE OF FORECLOSURES LEAVES MANY HOMES ABANDONED, YARDS UNKEMPT, ACROSS CHICAGO SUBURBS - SPURRING NEIGHBORS' CONCERN!
Foreclosure is a growing tragedy. It robs previously-confident homeowners of their dignity, as well as their ability to purchase another home anytime soon. Foreclosed properties fill the lenders' ledger sheets, dampening new, affordable mortgage money available for homebuyers. It creates an eyesore for neighbors and city leaders. And it drives down potential selling prices of homes nearby.
Here in the Chicago area, as detailed in a Chicago Tribune report by John Byrne and Lisa Black, many suburbs are beginning to crack down on those who fail to cut their grass on a regular basis. For the offenders, steep fees for the municipality to provide grass cutting services to make the homes appear tidy. The negligent include not only banks owning foreclosed properties, but also many homeowners preferring that rustic, natural look.
The Chicago Suburbs of Buffalo Grove, Northbrook, Aurora, Arlington Heights, Lake Forest, and Naperville IL have all taken steps to make sure the lawns of individual homeowners remains neat, trimmed, and tidy. In Northbrook, city officials charge residents $136 per hour to cut grass taller than 10" high on private property.
The City of Aurora, about 35 miles due west of Downtown Chicago and The Loop, enforces a maximum grass length of 8 inches. Officials of the city have issued 1,412 citations for unkempt grass this year, through the end of May. The fine in Aurora - $50 for a first offense, escalating to $500 for the fifth visit the city must make to private property to keep the grass at an acceptable, tidy height.
The maximum height for grass on private property in the Village of Buffalo Grove, roughly 18 miles northwest of Downtown Chicago, is six inches. Those whose yard is too high face a $125 trim charge from the city.
In the Northwest Chicago Suburb of Arlington Heights IL, the village has issued 177 citations for exceed their maximum lawn height of 8 inches for lots with buildings on them, whether residential or commercial. The height limit increases to 12" for parcels of vacant land. Roughly 18% of the citations issued involved foreclosed homes. The average city-hired contractor cost for cutting too-high grass - $104.
In West Suburban Naperville IL, residents are given five days to comply with the maximum 8" lawn height throughout the village. After that, the city cuts their grass, and takes the offenders to court, with fines ranging between $50 and $500, depending on the severity and the frequency of their offenses.
The tony North Shore Chicago Suburb of Lake Forest IL began enforcing grass height restrictions last year.
As you might imagine, most complaints on untidy yards come from irritated neighbors, who fear the untidiness of their neighbors makes their homes and neighborhoods less attractive.
DEAN MOSS & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO
