How rules about letting your grass grow vary around P.E.I.

Property maintenance, including lawn mowing, is governed by municipalities on P.E.I., so how tall you can let your grass grow depends on where you live.

Venassa Bernard-Smith, who lives in Charlottetown, was surprised to find out how short the grass could be and still merit a warning from the bylaw officer.

"We didn't really think the grass was noteworthy. Like, yeah, it could have been cut, but it wasn't anything that was like over the top," said Bernard-Smith.

The grass height limit in the Charlottetown bylaw is 150 millimetres, however like other Island communities, you won't get a notice unless one of your neighbours complains.

Charlottetown has one of the shorter grass requirements on the Island. Cornwall's is the same, while Summerside, Stratford and Kensington all allow up to 200 millimetres.

Souris and Three Rivers simply say that grass "shall be maintained."

No municipality has a bylaw specifically aimed at keeping lawns tidy. The rules are part of unsightly or dangerous premises bylaws, which cover how buildings are maintained, and the types of things you can store in your yard.

Cornwall Coun. Judy Herlihy said the town rarely gets complaints just about grass.

"It would probably be more of an unsightly property once it comes to the town's attention," said Herlihy.

"Structures that may not be safe or, you know, litter, rubbish, garbage, machinery that's sitting there. So the bylaw itself is a lot more encompassing than just the grass."

Fines for ignoring a warning in Charlottetown start at $300, and can range up to $2,250 for repeat offenders. Cornwall's bylaws include the possibility of jail time.

It's not a lawn, it's a meadow

Some municipalities, in the face of movements such as "No Mow May" and naturalized lawns, are reconsidering their bylaws to be more flexible.

Cornwall's environment committee is reviewing its bylaw with an eye toward making it more naturalized lawn friendly. Charlottetown is also reviewing, but more for clarity than for naturalization.

Stratford tells CBC News its bylaws are already open to lawn naturalization by residents, who can apply to have a section of their property declared a meadow.

They need to fill out the request for decision form on the town's website and Stratford's horticulturalist will review the plan, and then approve or reject it. The town said so far, no one has applied.

And as for the warning Bernard-Smith received, as she lives in an apartment building, she passed it on to her landlord, and he did cut the grass.