Who is responsible for tidying the lawn in front of the house?

Uncut grass or a pavement not cleared of snow. Whose duty is it to keep the land in front of the house clean? It all depends on the ownership structure. Let us look at what the regulations say on the subject.

Check who owns the land

The key to answering the question in the title is establishing who owns the lawn in front of the house. We can easily check this on a survey map, which marks the boundaries of the plot. Most Polish cities and municipalities have publicly available online systems showing the survey division of land, where we can check this quickly and free of charge. If the lawn in front of the house is on municipal land, it is the municipality's duty to keep it in proper condition. All tasks connected with cleaning, mowing the grass and generally keeping this area in order should be carried out by the relevant local government body. If, however, the lawn lies within a plot that we own, this duty rests with us. What matters here is the survey division, not the line of the fence. Lawns directly next to a road usually form part of the so-called road strip (pas drogowy). Under the regulations, the road authority, that is, the municipality or the county as applicable, is then responsible for maintaining this part of the road as well. The question of who owns the green strip by the property has further consequences in the form of the duty to maintain the pavement beside the road.

Whoever owns the lawn is responsible for the pavement

Under Article 5(1)(4) of the Act on Maintaining Cleanliness and Order in Municipalities, the duty to keep the area clean and tidy, including by removing mud and snow, rests with the owner of a property directly bordering the pavement. Owners of properties along roads where paid stopping or parking of motor vehicles is permitted are exempt from this duty. The key word in this provision is "directly". It is treated as direct contact with the pavement, so if the property is separated from the pavement by a lawn owned by the local authority, it is the local authority that must keep the pavement clean and tidy.
This provision often causes great confusion, especially in large cities with old buildings. Tenement buildings were often sold "by outline", that is, with a plot following exactly the footprint of the building, and some together with the lawn in front. As a result, a kind of patchwork of responsibility for maintaining pavements has formed in many cities. Some must be looked after by the municipality, others by individual homeowners' associations.
An important duty of a property owner is to keep the driveway access from the public road to the property in proper condition. In this case, a lawn in front of the house that belongs to the municipality does not release us from this duty. Let us remember that we are all jointly responsible for the appearance of our surroundings. Let us demand that local authorities take the best possible care of their land, but let us also do our bit, so that together we create a pleasant space for everyone.