I think legal requirements are a US thing. I had only heard of it in HOA run places though.
Here in the UK there are no usually legal requirements, but it might be a social problem as your neighbours will not like it.
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Apparently this text is part of the "International Property Management Code", which is incorporated into the municipal code of many cities?
https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/IPMC2024P1/chapter-3-gener...
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Not just HOAs. Talk grass allows insects and vermin to move more freely. In cities, this contributes to their spread, so some places have city-wide ordinances that require lawn maintenance.
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