Property Maintenance
Property owners are required to keep homes and lots safe, secure, and sanitary. Here’s what the Code of Ordinances asks of you — in plain language — and how to report a problem in your neighborhood.
The numbers that matter
Most code questions come down to a measurement or a deadline. These are the ones that come up most.
12 in
Maximum height for grass and weeds
10 days
Time to comply after a warning notice
4 in
Minimum height of your address numbers
7 ft
Tallest fence you can build without extra requirements
6 ft
Longest limb or debris allowed at the curb
12 hrs
How early a trash cart may go out — and how soon it comes in
What the Code Requires
General guidelines drawn from the Code of Ordinances. This is a summary, not the full law — each card links to the section it comes from.
Grass, Weeds & Leaves
Keep your lawn cut. Grass and weeds may not exceed twelve inches. If you get a warning notice, you have ten days to bring the property into compliance.
- Bag leaves, weeds, and grass in a regulation container — never loose in the street or right-of-way.
- Tree trimmings and hedge cuttings are collected by the Vermilion Parish Police Jury — request a pickup.
- Nothing at the curb longer than 6 feet or thicker than 18 inches, and it must be gone within a month.
Address Numbers
Every building must display its municipal address on the front, facing the street it’s addressed to. Numbers must be at least four inches tall and clearly readable from the street.
- This is what lets police, fire, and EMS find you in an emergency.
Fences
Fences must be structurally sound, not leaning, and kept in good repair. You can build between five and seven feet without a building permit; anything taller triggers additional construction requirements.
- Approved materials: brick, masonry, wood, chain link, or vinyl. Chain link is restricted in some situations.
- No foundation may conflict with a public servitude or block stormwater flow or utility access.
- Corner lots must meet line-of-sight requirements.
Rubbish & Trash
Household garbage goes in closed bags inside a permitted roadside cart. Carts are stored out of public view between collections, and rubbish, junk, and discarded items can’t accumulate on the property.
- Put your cart out the evening before pickup — no more than 12 hours early — and bring it in within 12 hours after.
- Never place carts under power lines or overhead wires, or on a catch basin.
- Furniture, carpet, limbs and small trunks go beside the cart. Keep yard debris separate from household items.
- Tires and large appliance boxes are never picked up curbside — haul them to the parish landfill with photo ID.
- Digging through or scavenging from carts at the curb is unlawful.
Vehicles
Vehicles parked on any property must carry legal registration and be in working condition. Abandoned, inoperable, dismantled, or wrecked vehicles are a public nuisance and can be abated as one.
- This applies to front yards, side yards, and driveways — not just the street.
Report a code violation
Give us the address and a short description — a photo helps. Reports can be submitted anonymously, and you’ll get a confirmation if you leave contact information.