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Thats nuts...................And to rat your neighbour.
Have you mowed your lawn yet this year? The amount of rain we've had over the past month has created prime grass growing conditions but take a trip into any Toronto neighbourhood and you'll find at least one - that lone home where the grass is growing like a weed and huge weeds are growing on the grass.
The unkempt front lawns aren't just worrying your neighbours - they've attracted the attention of City Hall, too. It turns out there's a bylaw that grass and weeds on private property in the city aren't supposed to be any higher than 20 centimetres.
If you've got one of those in your area, you can now call in and complain about it. The city is also sending out inspectors to look in places where offenders have been known to let the grass grow under their feet before in the summer months.
"This is the time when most properties that are not attended to begin to exceed the maximum height as outlined in the bylaw," explains Lance Cumberbatch of Municipal Licensing and Standards in a statement. "Enforcing the bylaw at this time encourages property owners to continue to do the proper maintenance through the growing season."
Offenders will be given a notice and three days to clean up their act - and their lawns. If an inspector comes back and finds nothing's been done, they'll cut the grass for you - and then charge you for the privilege.
Homeowners found guilty of the infraction have only one out. They have to successfully argue their lawns represent a "natural garden" and hope for an exemption. The rest will see their lawns - and their wallets - both cut.
It's similar to the winter law about clearing your ice off the sidewalk within 24 hours after a snowfall, although many residents have complained that bylaw is rarely enforced.
With a pesticide ban now in place, those in charge insist they mean business this time. "Cut your grass or we'll do it for you," warns Coun. Howard Moscoe, the longtime chair of the Committee. "If the City has to cut it for you, it will cost you significantly more than if you had hired a gardener."
The inspections began with the start of June on Monday and will continue through the month. Have a gripe about someone in your neighbourhood? Each area of the city has a special number to call. Check out the Licensing Enforcement list here to find yours.
http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_35037.aspx
Have you mowed your lawn yet this year? The amount of rain we've had over the past month has created prime grass growing conditions but take a trip into any Toronto neighbourhood and you'll find at least one - that lone home where the grass is growing like a weed and huge weeds are growing on the grass.
The unkempt front lawns aren't just worrying your neighbours - they've attracted the attention of City Hall, too. It turns out there's a bylaw that grass and weeds on private property in the city aren't supposed to be any higher than 20 centimetres.
If you've got one of those in your area, you can now call in and complain about it. The city is also sending out inspectors to look in places where offenders have been known to let the grass grow under their feet before in the summer months.
"This is the time when most properties that are not attended to begin to exceed the maximum height as outlined in the bylaw," explains Lance Cumberbatch of Municipal Licensing and Standards in a statement. "Enforcing the bylaw at this time encourages property owners to continue to do the proper maintenance through the growing season."
Offenders will be given a notice and three days to clean up their act - and their lawns. If an inspector comes back and finds nothing's been done, they'll cut the grass for you - and then charge you for the privilege.
Homeowners found guilty of the infraction have only one out. They have to successfully argue their lawns represent a "natural garden" and hope for an exemption. The rest will see their lawns - and their wallets - both cut.
It's similar to the winter law about clearing your ice off the sidewalk within 24 hours after a snowfall, although many residents have complained that bylaw is rarely enforced.
With a pesticide ban now in place, those in charge insist they mean business this time. "Cut your grass or we'll do it for you," warns Coun. Howard Moscoe, the longtime chair of the Committee. "If the City has to cut it for you, it will cost you significantly more than if you had hired a gardener."
The inspections began with the start of June on Monday and will continue through the month. Have a gripe about someone in your neighbourhood? Each area of the city has a special number to call. Check out the Licensing Enforcement list here to find yours.
http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_35037.aspx