Sleepy Hollow — Title 4 Ch. 6 Property Maintenance; Removals § 4-6-1

A. Cutting and removal of grass, weeds, trees and bushes:
1. It shall be unlawful for any owner, lessee, occupant, possessor, or person having any control over any parcel of real estate in the village to allow or maintain, or to fail to destroy or remove, any nuisance greenery on the property, including the area from the property line to the curb or edge of any adjacent roadway.
2. For purposes of this section, "nuisance greenery" shall mean and include all grasses used for lawn or yard purposes, or any high or rank vegetation growth, which exceed eight inches in height; and shall also mean any annual or perennial herbaceous plant not cultivated or useful for human food or enjoyment and which, when in blossom, gives off an unpleasant or noxious odor or pollen irritating to human tissues; any plant which grows where it is not wanted, including jimson, ragweed ( Ambrosia ), Canada thistle ( Cirsuim arvense ) and all of its varieties, perennial snow thistles ( Sonchus arvensis ), European bindweed ( Convolvulus arvensis ), leafy spurge ( Tithmyalus esula ), hoary cress ( Lipidium draba ), leafy spurge, Russian knapweed ( Centaurea repens ), dandelion weed, burdock, cocklebur, blue vervain, common milkweed, wild carrot, poison ivy, wild mustard, tough pigweed, lamb's quarters weed, wild lettuce, curled dock, smart weeds, including all varieties, poison hemlock, wild hemp, oxeye daisy, goldenrod, yellow hemlock, buckthorn; and any unkempt trees and bushes.
3. The following grasses and weeds are exempt from the provisions of this chapter: Bouteloua ( Curtipendula, Hirsuta ), Brachyelytrum ( Erectum ), Bromus ( Kaimil ), Calamagrostis ( Canadensis ), Carex ( Bicknelli, Stricta ), Cinna ( Arundinacea ), Diarrhenna ( Americana ), Elymus ( Candensis, Villosus, Virginicus ), Eragrostis ( Spectabilla ), Glyceria ( Striata ), Hierochloe ( Odorata ), Hystrix ( Patula ), Koeleria ( Cristata ), Muhlenbergia ( Cuspidata ), Panicum ( Leibergii, Aligosanthes, Virgatum ), Scirpus ( Atrovirens ), Sorghastrum ( Nutans ), Spartina ( Pectinata ), Sporobolus ( Heterolepis ), Stipa ( Spartea ), Uniola ( Latifolia ), prairie grass and Forbes.
4. Every owner, lessee, occupant, possessor, or other person having any control of any parcel of real estate in the village shall take such steps as are necessary to cut and maintain the greenery on his property, in accordance with the requirements of this section, so as not to constitute nuisance greenery. If such person fails, refuses or neglects to do so, the village may cut, or cause the cutting of, such nuisance greenery on the property.
5. Prior to the cutting of any nuisance greenery by the village, the village shall serve a notice upon any such owner, lessee, occupant, possessor, or other person having any control of such real estate, by certified mail, return receipt, or by personal service, which shall set forth the date, location and nature of the violation and which shall allow such person a period of seven days from receipt thereof to cut the nuisance greenery. Such notice may be in the form utilized by the village under its administrative ticket program, as described in section 1-12-1 of this Code.
6. If such owner, lessee, occupant, possessor, or other person having any control of such real estate fails to correct the violation within the time specified, the village may then cut, or cause to be cut, the nuisance greenery.
B. Pest extermination:
1. It shall be unlawful for any owner, lessee, occupant, possessor or other person having any control of a parcel of real estate in the village to allow undesirable pests on the property.
2. The term "undesirable pests" means and includes undesirable anthropods, including insects, spiders, mites, ticks, and related or similar organisms; wood infesting organisms; and rats, mice, and other obnoxious undesirable animals; but specifically, does not include a feral cat; a "companion animal" as that term is defined in the Humane Care For Animals Act, 510 ILCS 70; "animals" as that term is defined in the Illinois Diseased Animals Act, 510 ILCS 50; or animals protected by the Wildlife Code, 520 ILCS 5.
3. Every owner, lessee, occupant, possessor, or person having any control over any parcel of real estate in the village shall take such steps as are necessary to exterminate such pests and/or prevent the ingress of pests onto the property, as needed. If any such person fails, refuses or neglects to do so, the village may undertake, or come to be undertaken, pest control activities for the extermination of such pests from, or the prevention of the ingress of such pests onto, the property.
4. Prior to the village undertaking such pest control activities, the village shall serve notice on any such owner, lessee, occupant, possessor or other person having any control of such real estate by certified mail, return receipt, or by personal service, which shall allow such person a period of seven days from receipt thereof to undertake appropriate pest control activities. If any such person fails, refuses, or neglects to undertake appropriate pest control activities within the time specified, the village may then undertake, or cause to be undertaken, pest control activities to accomplish such extermination, or prevention of ingress of such pests onto the property.
C. Infected trees:
1. It shall be unlawful for any owner, lessee, occupant, possessor or other person having any control of a parcel of real estate in the village to allow or maintain on any such real estate any tree infected with Dutch elm disease or any ash tree infected with the emerald ash borer ( Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire ).
2. Any owner, lessee, occupant, possessor, or any other person having any control over any parcel of real estate in the village shall remove any elm tree infected with Dutch elm disease and any ash tree infected with the emerald ash borer. If any such person fails, refuses or neglects to remove such tree or trees from the property, the village may do so.
3. Prior to removal of any such infected trees by the village, the village shall serve a notice upon any such owner, lessee, occupant, possessor, or other person having any control of such real estate, by certified mail, return receipt, or by personal service, which shall set forth the date, location and nature of the violation and which shall allow such person a period of seven days from receipt thereof to remove such trees. If such person fails, refuses, or neglects to remove any such tree within the time specified, the village may then remove, or cause the removal, of any such tree.
D. Garbage and debris:
1. It shall be unlawful for any owner, lessee, occupant, possessor or other person having any control of a property in the village to fail, refuse or neglect to remove any garbage or debris placed on, kept on, strewn about, or littered on any private property in the village.
2. For purposes of this chapter, "garbage or debris" is defined to include all household waste; scrap metals and their alloys; bones; rags and used cloth; refuse; trash; used rubber and tires; used rope; used tinfoil; used bottles; old or used machinery and tools; used appliances; used structures; used utensils; used lumber; used boxes, crates, or paper items; used pipe and pipe fittings; unlicensed, inoperable or abandoned motor vehicles; and any other goods or items that are so worn, deteriorated, or obsolete as to render them unusable in their existing condition.
3. Every owner, lessee, occupant, possessor, or other person having any control over any parcel of real estate in the village shall remove any garbage or debris from his property. If any such person fails, refuses or neglects to remove such garbage or debris from the property, the village may do so.
4. Prior to the removal of any such garbage or debris by the village, the village shall serve a notice upon any such owner, lessee, occupant, possessor or other person having any control of such real estate by certified mail, return receipt, or by personal service, which shall set forth the date, location and nature of the violation and which shall allow such person a period of seven days from receipt thereof to remove such garbage and debris. If such person fails to correct the violation within the time specified, the village may then remove any such garbage or debris from the property.
E. Graffiti:
1. It shall be unlawful for any owner, lessee, occupant, possessor or other person having any control of a parcel of real estate in the village to maintain, or to fail to remove, any graffiti from any such property in the village.
2. For purposes of this chapter, "graffiti" shall mean and include any writing, printing, marks, signs, symbols, figures, designs, inscriptions or other drawings which are marked, scratched, etched, scrawled, painted, drawn or otherwise placed on any exterior surface of a building, wall, fence, sidewalk, curb or other permanent structure on public or private property, and which have the effect of defacing the property.
3. Every owner, lessee, occupant, possessor, or other person having any control over any parcel of real estate in the village shall remove any such graffiti from his property. If any such person fails, refuses, or neglects to remove such graffiti, the village may remove, or cause to be removed, such graffiti.
4. Prior to the removal of any such graffiti by the village, the village shall serve a notice upon any such owner, lessee, occupant, possessor, or other person having any control of such real estate, by certified mail, return receipt, or by personal service, which shall set forth the date, location and nature of the violation and which shall allow such person a period of seven days from receipt thereof to remove the graffiti. If such person fails, refuses, or neglects to remove the graffiti within the time specified, the village may then remove such graffiti from the property.