Got weeds? Get 'em out of here. Got abandoned vehicles on your property? Get 'em out of here. Have some trash or junk lying around? They're out of here too.

In an attempt to make Ogden a nicer and better place to live, officials here are starting to crack down on property owners who don't keep their yards up.Doug R. Smith, manager of inspection services for the Community Development Agency, said residents who don't keep their yards up and who violate ordinances will be given a written notice and then they will have two weeks to comply. If not, violators can be sent to court and fined.

"We're trying to make Ogden clean and green," he said. "We're right now targeting central Ogden."

In the past, weed and junk ordinances were enforced only if a complaint was lodged with the city. But now the city has hired a full-time zoning inspector who cruises the neighborhoods looking for violators.

Inspector Doug G. Smith said he mostly hands out notices to people who park their vehicles on lawns, keep junk lying around or refuse to cut down weeds.

The inspector said some people don't realize they are violating local ordinances when they fail to maintain a "green area" in their front yards.

"Some people feel it's their property and they should be able to do with it what they want," explained the inspector. "But they need to look at the big picture, they need to be good neighbors."

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Doug R. Smith said the worst problem in enforcing ordinances is absentee landlords who refuse to take care of their property. Violation notices will be mailed to them, even if they live out of state.

If they ignore the problem, the manager said the weeds will be cut down, cars and junk removed, and the cost of the labor will be tacked on to their property taxes.

"It takes some discretion," the manager noted. "But when property becomes an eyesore, people call us."

If worst comes to worst and people refuse to comply, the manager pointed out that property owners can be put in jail until the problems are resolved.

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