09-28-2016 Workshop Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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601-8 a. “Meadow vegetation” is grasses and flowering broad-leaf plants that are native to, or adapted to, the state of Minnesota, and that are commonly found in meadow and prairie plant communities, except weeds. b. “Noxious weeds” are those plants so designated by the state of Minnesota under Minn. Stat. § 18.171, subd. 5. c. “Regularly cut” means mowing or otherwise cutting the vegetation so that it does not exceed 10 inches in height. d. “Turf grasses” are grasses commonly used in regularly cut lawn areas, such as bluegrass, fescue and rye grass blends, and non-woody vegetation interspersed with them. e. “Weeds” include all noxious weeds, buffalobur, burdock, common cocklebur, crabgrass, dandelions, jimsonweed, quackgrass, common and giant ragweed, field sandbur, velvetleaf, and wild sunflower. Weeds also include anything that is horticulturally out of place. For example, a tree seedling is a weed in a vegetable garden. A property owner may establish that a plant or plants are not horticulturally out of place by providing a written landscape plan for the area in question, complete with a listing and locations of plant species. The plants specifically listed above may not be included within the landscape plan. Vegetation that does not comply with this plan are weeds. 3. Maintenance standard. The maintenance standard in this section applies to property that has been developed with a building as defined in the building code, including vacant property combined with developed property for tax purposes, and a parcel of property that has been completely or partially disturbed by demolition, grading or other means in preparation for development or redevelopment. a. All turf grasses and weeds must not exceed a height of 10 inches, measured from the base at ground level to the tip of each stalk, stem, blade, or leaf. b. This requirement does not apply to the following: (1) a wetland or floodplain designated in the zoning ordinance and required wetland buffers or those voluntarily created by a private land owner when compatible with the character of the neighborhood and the intent of the wetland ordinance, Section 300.23; (2) a drainage pond or ditch that stores or conveys stormwater; (3) an area in which the land and vegetation appears not to have been graded, landscaped, mowed, or otherwise disturbed by human or mechanical means at any time. Determination of what constitutes this type of area will be based on a reasonable judgment of the present appearance of the area. The recent history of the area may be relevant to this determination; and (4) an area established with meadow vegetation if: (a) the prior vegetation is eliminated and the meadow vegetation is planted through transplanting or seed by human or mechanical means;