Section 71.285

Title VII CITIES, TOWNS AND VILLAGES

Chapter 71

Effective - 28 Aug 2013, 5 histories   

  71.285.  Weeds or trash, city may cause removal and issue tax bill, when — certain cities may order abatement and remove weeds or trash, when — section not to apply to certain cities, when — city official may order abatement in certain cities — removal of weeds or trash, costs. — 1.  Whenever weeds or trash, in violation of an ordinance, are allowed to grow or accumulate, as the case may be, on any part of any lot or ground within any city, town or village in this state, the owner of the ground, or in case of joint tenancy, tenancy by entireties or tenancy in common, each owner thereof, shall be liable.  The marshal or other city official as designated in such ordinance shall give a hearing after ten days' notice thereof, either personally or by United States mail to the owner or owners, or the owner's agents, or by posting such notice on the premises; thereupon, the marshal or other designated city official may declare the weeds or trash to be a nuisance and order the same to be abated within five days; and in case the weeds or trash are not removed within the five days, the marshal or other designated city official shall have the weeds or trash removed, and shall certify the costs of same to the city clerk, who shall cause a special tax bill therefor against the property to be prepared and to be collected by the collector, with other taxes assessed against the property; and the tax bill from the date of its issuance shall be a first lien on the property until paid and shall be prima facie evidence of the recitals therein and of its validity, and no mere clerical error or informality in the same, or in the proceedings leading up to the issuance, shall be a defense thereto.  Each special tax bill shall be issued by the city clerk and delivered to the collector on or before the first day of June of each year.  Such tax bills if not paid when due shall bear interest at the rate of eight percent per annum.  Notwithstanding the time limitations of this section, any city, town or village located in a county of the first classification may hold the hearing provided in this section four days after notice is sent or posted, and may order at the hearing that the weeds or trash shall be abated within five business days after the hearing and if such weeds or trash are not removed within five business days after the hearing, the order shall allow the city to immediately remove the weeds or trash pursuant to this section.  Except for lands owned by a public utility, rights-of-way, and easements appurtenant or incidental to lands controlled by any railroad, the department of transportation, the department of natural resources or the department of conservation, the provisions of this subsection shall not apply to any city with a population of at least seventy thousand inhabitants which is located in a county of the first classification with a population of less than one hundred thousand inhabitants which adjoins a county with a population of less than one hundred thousand inhabitants that contains part of a city with a population of three hundred fifty thousand or more inhabitants, any city with a population of one hundred thousand or more inhabitants which is located within a county of the first classification that adjoins no other county of the first classification, or any city, town or village located within a county of the first classification with a charter form of government with a population of nine hundred thousand or more inhabitants, or any city with a population of three hundred fifty thousand or more inhabitants which is located in more than one county, or the City of St.  Louis, where such city, town or village establishes its own procedures for abatement of weeds or trash, and such city may charge its costs of collecting the tax bill, including attorney fees, in the event a lawsuit is required to enforce a tax bill.

  2.  Except as provided in subsection 3 of this section, if weeds are allowed to grow, or if trash is allowed to accumulate, on the same property in violation of an ordinance more than once during the same growing season in the case of weeds, or more than once during a calendar year in the case of trash, in any city with a population of three hundred fifty thousand or more inhabitants which is located in more than one county, in the City of St. Louis, in any city, town or village located in a county of the first classification with a charter form of government with a population of nine hundred thousand or more inhabitants, in any fourth class city located in a county of the first classification with a charter form of government and a population of less than three hundred thousand, or in any home rule city with more than one hundred thirteen thousand two hundred but less than one hundred thirteen thousand three hundred inhabitants located in a county with a charter form of government and with more than six hundred thousand but less than seven hundred thousand inhabitants, the marshal or other designated city official may order that the weeds or trash be abated within five business days after notice is sent to or posted on the property.  In case the weeds or trash are not removed within the five days, the marshal or other designated city official may have the weeds or trash removed and the cost of the same shall be billed in the manner described in subsection 1 of this section.

  3.  If weeds are allowed to grow, or if trash is allowed to accumulate, on the same property in violation of an ordinance more than once during the same growing season in the case of weeds, or more than once during a calendar year in the case of trash, in any city with a population of three hundred fifty thousand or more inhabitants which is located in more than one county, in the City of St. Louis, in any city, town or village located in a county of the first classification with a charter form of government with a population of nine hundred thousand or more inhabitants, in any fourth class city located in a county of the first classification with a charter form of government and a population of less than three hundred thousand, in any home rule city with more than one hundred thirteen thousand two hundred but less than one hundred thirteen thousand three hundred inhabitants located in a county with a charter form of government and with more than six hundred thousand but less than seven hundred thousand inhabitants, in any third class city with a population of at least ten thousand inhabitants but less than fifteen thousand inhabitants with the greater part of the population located in a county of the first classification, in any city of the third classification with more than sixteen thousand nine hundred but less than seventeen thousand inhabitants, in any city of the third classification with more than eight thousand but fewer than nine thousand inhabitants, in any city of the fourth classification with more than eight thousand but fewer than nine thousand inhabitants and located in any county of the third classification without a township form of government and with more than eighteen thousand but fewer than twenty thousand inhabitants, or in any city of the third classification with more than fifteen thousand but fewer than seventeen thousand inhabitants and located in any county of the first classification with more than sixty-five thousand but fewer than seventy-five thousand inhabitants, the marshal or other designated official may, without further notification, have the weeds or trash removed and the cost of the same shall be billed in the manner described in subsection 1 of this section.  The provisions of subsection 2 and this subsection do not apply to lands owned by a public utility and lands, rights-of-way, and easements appurtenant or incidental to lands controlled by any railroad.

  4.  The provisions of this section shall not apply to any city with a population of one hundred thousand or more inhabitants which is located within a county of the first classification that adjoins no other county of the first classification where such city establishes its own procedures for abatement of weeds or trash, and such city may charge its costs of collecting the tax bill, including attorney fees, in the event a lawsuit is required to enforce a tax bill.

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(L. 1971 H.B. 162, A.L. 1990 H.B. 1390, A.L. 1993 H.B. 333 merged with S.B. 221, A.L. 2000 S.B. 894, A.L. 2001 H.B. 410 merged with S.B. 345, A.L. 2002 S.B. 1086 & 1126, A.L. 2004 H.B. 947, A.L. 2013 S.B. 23 merged with S.B. 58)

CROSS REFERENCE:

Weed abatement, procedure, notice, cities, towns or villages and certain counties, 67.398