Clarifying Who Mows City Boulevards

(Original post date June 8, 2018)

In new developments, homeowners can find it confusing to understand who is responsible for mowing the grass on boulevards. Grass should NOT BE HIGHER than 6 inches. A boulevard is the public space between the homeowners house and the street. Sometimes there is a sidewalk in the boulevard, sometimes there isn’t. The City By Law – very simply explained, states:

Boulevards UNDER 20 feet wide:

• If your boulevard is less than 20 feet, mowing the grass is your responsibility.

Boulevards OVER 20 feet wide:

• The City of Winnipeg mows all grass on boulevards over 20 feet.

Educating Neighbours with a Friendly Flyer

If you see grass longer than 6 inches on the boulevard that is LESS THAN 20 feet wide – consider informing  your neighbour. Download this Mowing Your Boulevard Flyer and leave in their mailbox. Many people are new to Canada and are not familiar with the City’s many by-laws and would most likely appreciate this information.

Enforcement – Fines

If the  boulevard next to  your property is LESS THAN 20 feet and you are NOT mowing the grass, the City of Winnipeg By-Law inspector will come by and inform you that you have to mow the grass. They will write you a warning letter and come back in 1-2 weeks to ensure you have mowed. IF you haven’t mowed, they will aim to remind you again, and you may be subject to a fine up to $1000.

See Boulevard By Law  

See excerpt from the Neighbourhood Liveability bylaw (attached) that pertains to boulevard mowing:

Obligation to maintain boulevard
87(1) Subject to the provisions of this section and section 87, the owner and occupant of property
adjacent to a boulevard are each responsible for maintaining that portion of the boulevard that is
adjacent to the property and are each guilty of an offence under this By-law for failing to do so.

87(2) The obligation imposed in subsection (1) includes the obligation to ensure that no aspect of the boulevard nor anything located on the boulevard contravenes the restrictions on non-standard boulevard treatments set out subsection 88(3) or, alternatively, that the boulevard fully complies with a permit issued under section 89.

87(3) The obligation imposed in subsection (1) includes the obligation to
(a) keep turf and any vegetation that has not been planted pursuant to this Bylaw or the designated employee’s authorization trimmed to a maximum length of 15 cm (6 in);
(b) ensure that vegetation that has been planted, other than turf, is no more than 1.0 m (39 in) in height; and
(c) ensure that the boulevard is kept free of garbage.

87(4) The obligation imposed in this section applies whether or not a non-standard boulevard treatment has been applied to the boulevard.

87(5) The obligation imposed in subsection (1) does not include the responsibility to maintain trees within the boulevard and does not supersede any Policy adopted by the City respecting the removal of trees from boulevards.

Exceptions

88. The obligation imposed in section 85 and the authorization provided in section 87 do not apply to the following:
(a) boulevards adjacent to regional streets listed in Schedule “E” of the Streets By-law No. 1481/77;
(b) boulevards flanking properties adjacent to regional streets listed in Schedule “E” of the Streets By-law No. 1481/77;
(c) ditches in which turf has never been planted;
(d) boulevards located at the rear of a property;
(e) extended boulevards.

“extended boulevard” means a boulevard that
(a) is at least 20 feet wide, as measured from the roadway to the sidewalk or property line; or
(b) is intended to accommodate future street development;

“boulevard” means the portion of a street on either side of a roadway but does not include a sidewalk, median or traffic island;