Yard Maintenance By-Law Review

Yard Maintenance By-law Synopsis: The City of Hamilton’s Yard Maintenance By-law 10-118 is a by-law that regulates exterior property maintenance including vegetation, waste, and graffiti. Applies to all residents as they must keep their property free and clear of waste, ensure that grass and weeds do not exceed 21cm in height.

Property Use By-laws - Yard Maintenance and 10-118 Yard Maintenance By-law Search Page

Weed Control Act Synopsis: The provincial government of Ontario identifies noxious weed plants. The purpose of the Weed Control Act is to reduce the infestation of noxious weeds that negatively impact on agriculture and horticulture lands, to reduce plant diseases by eliminating plant disease hosts such as common barberry and European buckthorn, and to reduce health hazards to livestock and agricultural workers caused by poisonous plants.

• A noxious weed is a plant that has been listed in the Schedule of Noxious Weeds found in Regulation 1096 made under the Weed Control Act.
• In general, a species designated as a noxious weed under the Weed Control Act is one that is difficult to manage on agricultural land once established and will reduce the yield and quality of the crop being grown, negatively affects the health and well-being of livestock, poses a risk to the health and well-being of agricultural workers

Government of Ontario site on Noxious Weeds: https://www.ontario.ca/page/noxious-weeds-ontario

Naturalized Area definition:

A naturalized area can generally be defined as an intentionally cultivated area in which a combination of native species of plants are deliberately implemented to produce ground cover and may consists of one or more species of wildflowers, annuals, perennials, shrubs and grasses or a combination of the above and is maintained by the owner or occupant.

Naturalized areas can consist of a combination of native plant species and non-invasive species of plants, shrubs, and trees in an area that thrive together. Naturalized areas are intentionally designed and maintained to directly support biodiversity by creating habitats and food sources for wildlife such as birds; pollinators, such as bees and butterflies; and other species that a turfgrass lawn does not. Naturalized areas have a positive impact to the environment over time as part of creating healthy ecosystems that through management will require less watering and fertilization efforts.

We are looking for further feedback on what a naturalized area means to residents of the City of Hamilton. A previous version of the Yard Maintenance by-law defined naturalized areas as: “a property or a portion of a property deemed a naturalized area, an area is deemed to be a naturalized area if the property or portion covered by vegetation is landscaped and maintained with a variety of flowers or plants, with or without grasses, or left to grow a variety of indigenous plants”.

Noxious Weeds definition: “In general, a species designated as a noxious weed under the Weed Control Act is one that: is difficult to manage on agricultural land once established and will reduce the yield and quality of the crop being grown, negatively affects the health and well-being of livestock, poses a risk to the health and well-being of agricultural workers

Government of Ontario site on Noxious Weeds: https://www.ontario.ca/page/noxious-weeds-ontario

Invasive species: can be defined as “harmful species whose introduction or spread threatens the environment, the economy, or society, including human health. Invasive species can originate from other continents, neighbouring countries, or from other ecosystems within Canada”

Government of Canada’s Invasive Alien Species Strategy: https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2014/ec/CW66-394-2004-eng.pdf

Turfgrass definition: Turfgrass can generally be defined as: "Ground cover of various perennial grasses grown for lawns, of a type that forms a dense, uniform turf if mown". A previous version of the Yard Maintenance By-law defined Turfgrass as: “ground cover comprised of one or more species of growing grass with or without trees, shrubbery or maintained planting beds for other vegetation”.

Ornamental plant definition: Means a plant deliberately grown for beautification, screening, accent, specimen, colour or other aesthetic reasons but does not include any variety of turf grass.