this post was submitted on 19 Dec 2025
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Native Plant Gardening

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👮 Neighbor called the cops on me for having weeds 🌿 -- how to work the system in this situation (slrpnk.net)
submitted 7 hours ago by activistPnk@slrpnk.net to c/nativeplantgardening@mander.xyz
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cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/31676944

An anonymous neighbor wanted to control the appearance of my yard without speaking directly to me. So whoever they are, they filed a report that I have weeds and I was cited.

I wanted to understand what law was being used against me, so I looked it up. It turns out the law is in a body of statutes covering health and public safety. So my 1st thought is: that’s bizarre.. an ugly plant is a health issue?

WTF is a “weed”?

In common language most people are making a value judgment by regarding ugly plants as weeds. But the legal definition is not so subjective. It’s plants that have toxins and allergens. So things like Poison Ivy. The law names 6 or so examples but is not limited to those.

So the law is perhaps reasonably written to control health hazards, not so people can control the appearance of other people’s property. But the enforcers were either clueless about this or they were intellectually dishonest in hopes that those cited would naively create a pretty landscape for the demanding neighbor without first reading the law.

I might have been willing to do a landscape had the process of telling me the yard looks ugly not been as rude as sending cops to bully me.

A citation generally saying “you have weeds” is likely typically a false accusation. They should be writing on the citation exactly which plant specie is toxic or hazardous, just as a speeding ticket says how fast you were measured at.

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[–] cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 6 hours ago

Fight it in court and demand to face your accuser. Then, when you win, sue them in small claims court for damages (your fees + your time). At least, if you're in the US.

Have you considered that this person might want you to move out? I've had that happen to me once. I lived in an apartment and someone who was tired of living in an upstairs unit constantly called the police on me with noise complaints. I knew they were trying to get me evicted even if nothing could be proven, so I got a sympathetic officer to tell me which resident called on me. I notified the property management company. Thankfully, they asked the neighbors to leave instead. So they have a vague rule in the lease that says excessive police presence on your behalf is grounds for eviction, and my neighbor was trying to weaponise it against me. When I successfully identified them and presented this to the company, they basically saw that the neighbor was constantly bringing the police to the building. Therefore, they were in violation, and evicted.

If you both own, that wouldn't apply. If you rent, it might. If nothing else, you know who is targeting you and you have a few options in that case. At the very least, you have documentation.

Just be advised, if legal methods to remove you don't work, they may try illegal methods. Thus, documentation will help here as well. You have a motive if someone vandalises your property. An illegal act with motivation is plenty of grounds for a restraining order. Thus, it's not a good idea to make enemies of your neighbors.