Mount Olive cracks down on overgrown lawns, charging fines, filing liens

"It's a public nuisance and it brings snakes, bugs, more mosquitos. It's horrible," says Justin Hill, code enforcement officer for the town of roughly 4,600 people.

A welcoming, well-manicured town famed for pickles and a boulevard called Cucumber, Mount Olive is throttling up enforcement of ordinances requiring homeowners to keep their lawns cut.

Among the leafy streets are some yards with jungles of dandelions and knee-high grass.

"It's getting worse," says Hill.

Hill spent Tuesday morning handing out violation notices.

"I issued 40 today," he says.

At one house where the grass is knee high, he hangs an orange flier on the door handle, reading: "Please cut grass within 10 days."

If, after notices and fines, the grass remains a jungle, town employees go in and mow it themselves -- and charge the homeowners at least $200 for the work.

Mount Olive officials are cracking down, saying they're not in the business of mowing people's yards. They plan to file liens against property owners who don't cut their grass and pay their fines.

The town manager says he expects a big increase in liens this year if homeowners don't pay up. He also says a majority of the lots that are in the worst shape belong to absentee owners who don't live in Mount Olive.

He says the town is aggressively pursuing them to make sure they keep their lawns in better shape.

Go after them, says Janet Blount, whose patience is short with tall grass.

"Whoever lives in the property should take pride in where they live and keep their communities up," she says.

Hill agrees, saying, "Just do your part. Cut your yard. It looks horrible. It makes a better community, a cleaner town."

A town where, no matter what side you're on, the grass is plenty green. Just don't let the green grass get too deep.