Community Services

Overgrown Vegetation and Weed Complaints

The City of Sparks regulates weeds and turf grass exceeding eight inches in height in plain view within the front or side yards on a property as a nuisance [SMC 7.16.010(D)(8)(a)].  Recent public reminders from the City of Sparks to its residents concerning this nuisance regulation have prompted phone calls and e-mails to Washoe County concerning overgrown weeds and vegetation on properties in the unincorporated County.  Washoe County (i.e. the unincorporated area) has not adopted an ordinance specific to the regulation of “weeds”, such as limitations on height, land area coverage, location, or a definition of what is considered a weed.  For information on what jurisdiction you reside in (i.e. Reno, Sparks, or unincorporated Washoe County), please click here (and then on the Planning and Development tab to turn on city boundaries):

https://gis.washoecounty.us/wrms/    

Code enforcement officers with the Washoe County Community Services Department are limited by State Law and County Code to address only “excessive foliage growth” on the exterior of any foreclosed residential property [WCC Section 50.308(7)(a)].  The property must meet the State Law definition of a foreclosed property (owned by a financial institution or sold as a foreclosed property).  Further, the “excessive foliage growth” must diminish the value of the residential property or of surrounding properties resulting from the condition of the foreclosed property.

• For complaints concerning foreclosed residential properties, please contact the Department’s code enforcement staff by phone at 775.328.6106 or by e-mail at
  Code-Enforcement@washoecounty.gov .

Concerns or reports about noxious or nuisance weeds (as defined and regulated by NRS and NAC) on both public lands and private property may also be referred to the following:

• Department of Agriculture, 775.353.3640
  http://agri.nv.gov/Resources/Forms/Noxious_Weed_Forms

• UNR Cooperative Extension at 775.784.4848 (also located at 4995 Energy Way in Reno)
  https://extension.unr.edu/default.aspx
  
  

For a downloadable PDF of this page CLICK HERE.