Bylaw Bulletin: Nuisance and Unsightly Premises

As we move into summer, residents are out in full force working on their properties: from lawn maintenance and gardening to demolition and construction of new structures. This activity helps to increase value throughout the County and builds on the ‘un-city experience’ for prospective residents.

On the flip side, when we don’t see this activity, we start to see properties in states of disrepair and neglect. This can become a safety issue for residents and passersby alike as well as be detrimental to the surrounding area. To help mitigate these problems, the County has a Nuisance and Unsightly Premises Bylaw.

What are Unsightly Premises?

Unsightly premises are any property – land, buildings, improvements, personal property, or a combination of them – that negatively affects the amenities, use, value, or enjoyment of the surrounding lands in reasonable proximity. The conditions could be untidy, offensive, or dangerous to the health and safety of any person.

Section 4 of the Nuisance and Unsightly Premises Bylaw lists the prohibitions to help property owners know what conditions are expected on the premises. Property owners must not allow:

• excessive uncut grass or weeds
• growth of trees or shrubs that interfere with or endanger visibility of street/road signage, sidewalks, roadway clearances or sightlines
• accumulated piles or otherwise of dirt, stone, garden waste, old implements, disassembled or broken vehicles, scrap iron, lumber, glass, furniture, appliances, food containers, wastepaper or cardboard
• posted or exhibited unauthorized signs, posters, billboards, graffiti, obscene or offensive symbols, words, pictures or art
• structures to fall into a state of disrepair (e.g. stairs, porches, decks, roofs, fence

If legitimate work is being carried out through a development permit approved by the County, such as commercial, industrial, construction, demolition, renovation, landscaping, clean-up, storage, or other related activities on a property, unsightly premises would not apply until after the work has been completed for an extended period of time.

If it’s my property, why is there an Unsightly Premises Bylaw?

As residents in the County of St. Paul, we all must work together to ensure our activities are respectful of our neighbours. While residents can decide on the methods to maintain their property, not maintaining the property can have larger effects on health, safety, and livelihood, such as:

• Potential accidents from visually obstructed roadways.
• Pets and livestock ingesting harmful waste that has blown in from another property.
• Reduced ability to sell property from decreasing market value.
• Decreased likelihood of buyers purchasing in the area due to the state of prospective properties.

The County works to provide programs, services, and staff to help property owners and residents manage their premises to ensure to best value, use, and enjoyment. Some of these programs include:

• Roadside mowing and spraying to manage vegetation growth and keep roadways clear.
• More than 30 public bin sites to collect household waste.
• Six transfer stations to collect larger waste materials.
• Fire permits for resident burn piles.
• Planning & Development permits for the maintenance, repair, and upkeep of structures.

Let’s be respectful and keep our County clean

By using County services and keeping our neighbours in mind, County properties will continue to grow in value thanks to their upkeep.

If you’re being affected by an unsightly premise within your property’s proximity, please pick up or print out our Bylaw Complaint Form. Completed forms can be brought in person, emailed to [email protected], mailed to or put in the drop box at the County Administration Office at 5015 49 Avenue, St. Paul AB, T0A 3A4.

Bylaw Bulletin is a monthly feature for one of the County’s bylaws, helping residents to understand the bylaws we do have and how to avoid being penalized for any bylaw offences unknowingly.

Please not that the image used above is a stock photo and not the individual property of a County resident.