Report a Complaint About Tall Grass or Trash in a Yard

Do you have a complaint about tall grass or trash in a yard? Grass or weeds taller than 12 inches or trash in someone’s yard is dangerous. You're in the right place to report this.

Online Form

Identify your complaint

We know it's important to prevent the dangers of tall grass and trash. Property owners are responsible for making sure they maintain their lots and yards. You can report a complaint if a property has:

  • Loose trash or rubbish in their yard or on their porch
  • Grass or weeds are taller than 12 inches
  • Having furniture like couches or recliners on an open porch or in the yard

Keep in mind

Together, you and your neighbors form a strong community. Working together to resolve an issue can create a stronger block and neighborhood. We’ve put together optional first steps before filing a complaint with us.

  • Try talking with the property owner. If you need help finding the owner of a property, contact the City Assessors' Office online or at (616) 456-3081
  • Contact your Neighborhood Association to see if they're able to help the owner

Make sure you have time to complete the form

This form will take about 5 minutes to complete. You'll be able to save your entry and resume later if you need more time.

Consider creating a Citizen Access account

We use a third party application called Citizen Access to receive complaints about tall grass and trash in yards. You can submit a complaint anonymously without logging in, or create an account and log in first to make it easier for you to track the status of the complaint over time.

Haven't used Citizen Access before? Make sure to review how to create an account before starting.

Submit your complaint online

After following the link below, you'll agree to the disclaimer. All you’ll need is the property address and a description of your complaint.

Submit a Tall Grass or Trash in Yard Complaint in English

We'll review your complaint

We'll start a case after we review and accept your complaint. Then we send a letter to the owner for complaints we enforce. We give the owner 7 days for non-hazardous issues. Our inspectors follow up with an on-site inspection. If timely corrections aren't completed, the process continues. If the complaint is a hazard, our inspectors inspect the condition as soon as possible. You can track this online through Citizen Access.

Check out our enforcement process(PDF, 313KB) for more details. 

Check the complaint status

Want to see what's happening with the complaint you filed? Visit the Citizen Access website:

  • Click the Enforcement tab. 
  • Click on the Case Number for more information
  • Don't see your complaint case Case Records? Search by Site Address, Parcel Number, or Case Number in the General Search section of the page
  • If you logged in before submitting your complaint, you'll see the case listed under Case Records

Paper Form

Review your options 

There's currently no printed version of this form. To file a complaint about all grass and trash in yards, click the other tabs for online, phone and in person options. 

Decide which option works best for you and click the corresponding tab for more instructions. Have questions? Give us a call at the phone number listed in the Contact Us section of this page.

Phone

Identify your complaint

We know it's important to prevent the dangers of tall grass and trash. Property owners are responsible for making sure they maintain their lots and yards. You can report a complaint if a property has:
  • Loose trash or rubbish in their yard or on their porch
  • Grass or weeds are taller than 12 inches 
  • Having furniture like couches or recliners on an open porch or in the yard

Keep in mind 

Together, you and your neighbors form a strong community. Working together to resolve an issue can create a stronger block and neighborhood. We’ve put together optional first steps before filing a complaint with us.

  • Try talking with the property owner. If you need help finding the owner of a property, contact the City Assessors' Office online or at (616) 456-3081

  • Contact your Neighborhood Association to see if they're able to help the owner

Give us a call 

Call us at the number listed in the Contact Us section of this page.

We'll review your complaint

We'll start a case after we review and accept your complaint. Then we send a letter to the owner for complaints we enforce. We give the owner 7 days for non-hazardous issues. Our inspectors follow up with an on-site inspection. If timely corrections aren't completed, the process continues. If the complaint is a hazard, our inspectors inspect the condition as soon as possible. You can track this online through Citizen Access.

Check out our enforcement process(PDF, 313KB) for more details. 

Check the complaint status

Want to see what's happening with the complaint you filed? Visit the Citizen Access website:

  • Click the Enforcement tab. 
  • Click on the Case Number for more information
  • Don't see your complaint case Case Records? Search by Site Address, Parcel Number, or Case Number in the General Search section of the page
  • If you logged in before submitting your complaint, you'll see the case listed under Case Records

In Person

Identify your complaint

We know it's important to prevent the dangers of tall grass and trash. Property owners are responsible for making sure they maintain their lots and yards. You can report a complaint if a property has:
  • Loose trash or rubbish in their yard or on their porch
  • Grass or weeds are taller than 12 inches
  • Having furniture like couches or recliners on an open porch or in the yard

Keep in mind

Together, you and your neighbors form a strong community. Working together to resolve an issue can create a stronger block and neighborhood. We’ve put together optional first steps before filing a complaint with us.

  • Try talking with the property owner. If you need help finding the owner of a property, contact the City Assessors' Office online or at (616) 456-3081

  • Contact your Neighborhood Association to see if they're able to help the owner

Visit our office

To file a complaint in person, visit Code Compliance at the address listed in the Contact Us section of this page.

We'll review your complaint

We'll start a case after we review and accept your complaint. Then we send a letter to the owner for complaints we enforce. We give the owner 7 days for non-hazardous issues. Our inspectors follow up with an on-site inspection. If timely corrections aren't completed, the process continues. If the complaint is a hazard, our inspectors inspect the condition as soon as possible. You can track this online through Citizen Access.

Check out our enforcement process(PDF, 313KB) for more details. 

Check the complaint status

Want to see what's happening with the complaint you filed? Visit the Citizen Access website:

  • Click the Enforcement tab. 
  • Click on the Case Number for more information
  • Don't see your complaint case Case Records? Search by Site Address, Parcel Number, or Case Number in the General Search section of the page
  • If you logged in before submitting your complaint, you'll see the case listed under Case Records

Contact Us

Phone

616-456-3053

Fax

616-456-3453

Email

codes@grcity.us

Location

Code Compliance
1120 Monroe Ave NW Suite 300
Grand Rapids
49503
View Map

Related Links

Create a Citizen Access Account

 

Housing and Zoning Fee Schedule(PDF, 322KB)

 

Nuisance Fee Schedule(PDF, 112KB)

 

Enforcement Process(PDF, 313KB)

City Code References

Address Identification

 

Animals (Backyard Chickens)

 

Building Maintenance Code

 

Nuisance Code

 

Property Maintenance Code (Amendment Only)

 

Home Safety (Smoke Detectors)

 

Zoning Ordinance

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