Can You Be Fined for Not Mowing Your Lawn?

The answer may surprise you.

If you handle mowing the lawn at your house and have ever thought about just not doing it anymore, you might want to think again, because you could be on the hook for some serious money like this unhappy man from Florida.

The tall grass drama started a while back, when now, 71 year-old Jim Ficken, from Dunedin Florida was hit with an almost $30,000 bill for letting his grass get too high. The city of Dunedin, charged the man with numerous code violations starting two years ago, because his grass exceeded the city’s 8-inch height restriction on grass and charged him $500 per day until issue was resolved, which is never was. The fines got up to $29,000 and that's when the city attempted to foreclose on his house.

Ficken argued that he was out of town for sometime taking care of his late mothers estate, and the handyman he hired to take care of the lawn while he was away suddenly passed away while he was gone and that's why the lawn went uncut. He refused to pay the fines and attempted to sue the city to stop the foreclosure process according to the Lawn Starter website.

After spending the last few years fighting the fines in court, Fickens attorney handling the case, Ari Bargil saying numerous times that the city’s fines were excessive and were handed out with no notice. A federal judge in Florida disagreed with the attorney and ruled in favor of the city this week and now Fickens is on the hook for the fines according to ABC Action News. Fickens and his attorney did state, they plan to appeal the ruling.

As far as the Hudson Valley goes with fines like this, most of our area has some sort of code that can be enforced if your yard isn't maintained properly. Would your town go after you like this? Let's hope not, so to be on the safe side, get out there and mow away!!!