London, Ontario Long Grass Rules Explained: How Tall Can Your Lawn Get?

In London, Ontario, your lawn can't grow taller than 20 cm (8 inches). That's section 2.3 of the City's Yard and Lot Maintenance By-law, PW-15. Gardens and hedges near a corner or your driveway must stay under 0.9 m (3 feet). If someone complains, a by-law officer can inspect, order you to cut it, and issue a 300 dollar penalty. Ignore the order, and the City can cut it and bill your taxes.

What does London's long grass bylaw say?

The rule lives in By-law PW-15. Council passed it on March 5, 2024. It replaced the older PW-9 and was last updated in June 2026.

The lawn part is short. An owner can't let the lawn on their land go past 20 cm in height or length.

The by-law also says your lawn and plants can't create a health or safety hazard or a nuisance. So a lawn under 20 cm can still draw attention if it hides junk or blocks a path.

London's limit sits close to other Ontario cities. Hamilton allows 21 cm. Our guide to long grass bylaws in Canada shows how more cities compare.

What counts as a "lawn"?

PW-15 defines a lawn as turfgrass that forms a thick, even cover when mowed. It names Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass and fine fescue as examples. That's the grass most London front yards grow.

Flower beds, food gardens, rain gardens, hedges, shrubs and groundcover fall under a different word: "vegetative growth." Trees are left out of both.

Does the rule apply to tenants?

Yes. The by-law's word "owner" includes a tenant or occupant who is 18 or older. So a renter can be on the hook too, not just the landlord.

If you rent out a house in London, put mowing in writing before spring. Say who cuts, how often, and who covers trips. A short note now beats a penalty notice in July.

What are the corner and driveway rules?

This is the part many Londoners miss. Plants near a corner or a driveway can't grow above 0.9 m (3 feet). The by-law draws two "visibility triangles":

• Corner lots: start where your two street-side lot lines meet. Measure 5.4 m (17.7 feet) along each line. The triangle between those points is the zone.
• Driveways: start where the edge of your driveway meets the street line or sidewalk. Measure 2.7 m (8.9 feet) each way. That triangle is the zone.

Inside those triangles, gardens, hedges and shrubs stay under 3 feet. The goal is simple: drivers backing out, and drivers turning the corner, need to see kids and bikes.

A cedar hedge along the front walk often creeps into the driveway triangle. Our partner crews handle hedge and shrub trimming, so a low front corner is easy to keep.

Are naturalized yards allowed in London?

Yes. The City says naturalized yards and gardens are allowed and supported. Its own summary page even says "if you choose to have a lawn." So you don't have to grow grass at all.

There's a catch. A natural yard has to be planted and cared for on purpose. A lawn that just stopped getting mowed isn't a meadow. The corner and driveway triangles still apply, too.

The City also notes that a "Nature Lives Here" lawn sign doesn't mean your yard follows the by-law. The sign alone won't stop enforcement.

Which plants must come out?

PW-15 has a list of prohibited plants you must remove. A few that show up in London yards:

• Common and glossy buckthorn
• Dog-strangling vine and garlic mustard
• Japanese knotweed and giant hogweed
• Poison ivy, common ragweed and wild parsnip

Our partner crews don't spray, and we don't give advice on weed killers or other chemicals.

What happens if your grass is too long in London?

It usually starts with a call from a neighbour. The City says officers respond to complaints and sometimes act on their own. In 2025, London investigated 3,634 yard and lot complaints, plus 352 found by officers.

Officers say they take an "education first" approach. They aim for you to fix it before anything else happens. If that doesn't work, the by-law gives them more tools:

1. Inspection. An officer can come onto your land at reasonable times to look.
2. Order. A Work Order lists the problem and a set date to fix it. If it's mailed, it counts as received on the third day after mailing.
3. Penalty. The officer can issue a penalty notice, or the City can lay a charge in court.
4. City cleanup. If the work isn't done by the date, the City can have it done.
5. The bill. You pay the cost plus an administrative fee. Unpaid amounts can go on your property tax roll.

How much is the penalty?

The City's penalty by-law lists 300 dollars for failing to keep your lawn or plants within PW-15. Ignoring a Work Order is another 300 dollars. Not removing a prohibited plant is also 300 dollars.

You can dispute a penalty notice. Ask for a screening review no later than 15 days after the notice date. A screening officer can lower, cancel or confirm it.

How do you report long grass?

Use the Service London portal, email enforcement@london.ca, call 519-661-4660, or dial 311 inside London. City parks are exempt from PW-15, so park issues go through other City channels.

How fast can a London lawn reach 20 cm?

Faster than you'd think in spring. At the London airport, the average last spring frost is May 1. Growth takes off soon after. A lawn left alone through a wet May can pass 8 inches before June.

Fall can surprise people too. September is London's rainiest month, with about 103 mm of rain on average. The first fall frost doesn't come until around October 13. So grass keeps growing into October.

For a sense of pace, the City mows its neighbourhood parks about once every 10 days. Most home lawns need a cut every week in the busy months. Our guide to how often to mow has more.

Why can't you fix it in one cut?

Iowa State University's extension service says never cut off more than one third of the grass blade at once. A lawn at 20 cm can only come down to about 13 cm in one pass. It takes 2 or 3 cuts, a few days apart, to get it back to normal. That's why it pays to stay ahead.

How do you stay under 20 cm?

• Mow on a set day each week from May into October.
• Trim along fences, posts, the curb and the sidewalk edge.
• Keep hedges and beds low in the corner and driveway triangles.
• Leave clippings on the lawn. London has no curbside pickup for grass clippings.
• If you bag clippings, EnviroDepots take them for 2 dollars a bag.
• Put trimmings and leaves out on your green week. Yard waste pickup runs late March to December.
• Line up a backup before you travel.

Edges are where complaints start. Grass along a fence line can top 20 cm while the middle looks fine. Clean trimming and edging keeps the spots people see from the street tidy.

Our London lawn care page has more on local soil, watering and yard waste. For the rest of the province, see our Ontario lawn care page.

Can someone keep your lawn under the limit for you?

Yes. Golden Oak Lawn Care matches you with a vetted, insured local crew in London. They do the work. We stand behind it with the Golden Oak Guarantee.

Your crew handles weekly lawn mowing plus trimming and edging. You keep the same crew every visit, and they text you a photo after every cut. That photo helps if you own a rental you can't drive past.

If your crew misses your scheduled window, that cut is free. Not happy with a cut? Text us a photo within 24 hours, and your crew re-cuts it free within 48 hours. You pay for the season up front and can pause by text for trips. Book the season and your first cut is free.

We measure your lawn from satellite images, so nobody needs to visit. Your price comes by text in 60 minutes. It depends on lawn size, how often you mow, slopes, gates and obstacles like gardens and play sets.

Want it handled? Get your price in 60 minutes, or call 1-866-904-LAWN.

London Long Grass Bylaw Questions

Rules change, so check with the City before you plan. Sources: London Yard and Lot Maintenance By-law PW-15, Yard and Lot Maintenance By-law summary, AMPS By-law A-54, Penalty Notices, Municipal Compliance, yard waste and composting, London parks, London airport climate normals, Iowa State University Extension.