Overgrown grass could cost Jackson residents hefty fines

JACKSON, Tenn. — Workers get out in the hot sun Wednesday to mow the grass. They are making sure the lawns are nice and neat.

“Every day.  Every day on grass,” Gary Hardee with the Jackson Department of Housing Codes said.

Hardee says his office gets flooded with calls every day with neighbors complaining of overgrown grass and unruly yards.

“We’ll go out and take a look at it, or an empty lot, and what we will do, we will contact the owner, and that will be through the mail, giving them five days to cut the grass,” Hardee said.

If you don’t cut it, then you could face going to environmental court and paying heavy fines.

“They don’t like the looks of it. They could get rodents,” Hardee said.

Hardee says high grass can cause health issues including mosquitoes or bring in slithering friends.

“The kids say they saw two snakes coming out of the grass,” one neighbor said.

The neighbor says the grass at the house across from her is out of control.

“The people have moved out. Someone has been over there working, but I can’t catch them to get a number to cut the grass,” the neighbor said.

“Most people can keep a nice yard cutting it once a week,” said Dan Morris with Morris Nursery.

Morris says he sees a boost in customers around this time of year, every year.

“We are running like a one-armed paper hanger right now, and this time of year — it’s spring — so April, May and June. If you want to get your yard in order, then it’s the time to do it,” Morris said.

What if the house is abandoned?

“If it’s an abandoned property, we will contact the owner. If we can’t contact them, then the city will mow that and possibly put a lien on the property,” Hardee said.

Overall, officials say it’s simple — keep the grass cut.