Summer is here, and if you own a home with a yard, that means you’re probably outside every week or so mowing, weed whacking or edging your grass. We understand that you want to maintain your lawn as you see fit, but if you’re not careful, you can end up cited by police for violating local mowing laws. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at mowing laws in Minnesota and discuss some of the penalties you may face for violating these ordinances.
Mowing Violation Penalties In Minnesota
There is no one statute that governs how all Minnesotans are required to care for their lawn. In most instances, it is up to local or city ordinances to explain how and when residents are to maintain their lawns. They may not require that you mow your lawn regularly, but they may require that you operate your lawn mower during specific times out of respect for your neighbors. Let’s take a look at some local laws governing mowing abilities:
Minneapolis – In Minneapolis, you are not allowed to operate power lawn mowers between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
St. Paul – In St.Paul, you are not allowed to operate power lawn mowers between the hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Rochester – In Rochester, you are not allowed to operate power lawn mowers between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.
When in doubt, perform a Google search to see what your city says about mowing regulations. A violation of the city ordinance will likely result in a warning or a fine, but things could escalate if you continue to violate the city ordinance.
It’s also worth noting that you could be fined for how you handle yard waste, grass clippings and brush that you collect during the course of maintaining your lawn. Again, searching for your local laws are helpful, but note that Minnesota does have some statewide laws on the books. For example, throwing away grass clippings instead of composting them or taking them to a specific yard waste facility is punishable by fines up to $100 per bag, with a maximum penalty of $5,000. Disposing of your grass clippings in the street may be considered a littering violation, punishable by fines up to $1,000.
At the end of the day, you take ownership in your lawn, and you should also take ownership over the laws that govern how you should maintain your yard and dispose of waste. Nobody wants to deal with neighbors that violate quiet hours or make a mess on the side of the road, so don’t be that guy. We understand that you may want to avoid the hottest parts of the day, but you should still be able to do that while abiding by your local quiet hours restrictions.
If you need help contesting a mowing violation or a more common issue like a traffic ticket or drug charge, connect with Avery and the team at Appelman Law Firm today at (952) 224-2277.
