Too High? Olivette Notifies Owners Of Lawns With Tall Grass

Olivette property owners are requested to keep grass at a certain level. Fifteen property owners were sent violation letters in July, according to a City Council report, because they didn’t maintain their lawns.

If the city of Olivette becomes aware of excessively tall grass — longer than 7 inches — the city will notify the offending property owner through a violation letter. Carlos Trejo, of the public works department, said the letters are not fines but simply notices that the city had become aware of the violation.

“We issue them a letter if we get a call or it’s viewed during an inspection,” Trejo said. “A lot of these are brought to our attention, as opposed to inspections, so residents are always welcome to call our office at 314-993-0252.”

The letter gives property owners a five day notice, Trejo explained, and if the property owner doesn’t address the high grass then the city will issue a second violation letter. The second notice would inform the owner that the city may use its own staff, or a landscaping service, to cut the offending grass to an acceptable length, Trejo said. Then the property owner would be billed and required to pay for the landscaping service.

“If they fail to reimburse the city we have the right to issue a ticket or court summons,” Trejo said, but most of the time the high grass is dealt with by the property owners themselves.