Nuisance laws are meant to ensure homeowners and businesses engage in the upkeep of their properties so they don’t encroach on their neighbors.

During several recent supervisors meetings, residents complained about the conditions at properties abutting their own or griped that they’ve been unfairly cited for their own properties.

At an Adams Township meeting, one resident said he’s been “cited and harassed for months” over items on his property — including vehicles and trash. The man argued he removed “a tremendous amount of stuff,” however township solicitor Michael Gallagher noted the resident has been violating the ordinance for more than a year.

Another resident was concerned he could be violating the township’s ordinance because he keeps items in his yard to refurbish.

“The issue is that someone can tell me what I cannot have on my property when it’s not hurting anybody else,” he said.

At a Middlesex Township supervisors meeting, a man complained about his neighbor’s yard, calling it a “jungle.” The property, he alleged, has uncut grass and a swimming pool with no cover, adding it has drawn rats and mosquitoes.

Supervisors in that community told the resident the property had been visited by a code enforcement officer.

However, Supervisor Vice Chairman Donald Marshall, upon reviewing photos of the property, said he wasn’t sure if it was a nuisance. He also pointed out that “I don’t know how I can tell somebody how to live.”

Nuisance laws typically prohibit the storage of hazardous chemicals on a property, ensure that no items obstruct public roads, regulate grass height, prohibit abandoned vehicles and require the maintenance of structures to prevent dangerous situations.

In other words, they primarily deal with safety concerns. Enforcing violation penalties is often at a township’s discretion.

Residents should be good neighbors by maintaining their properties. If a resident is inconvenienced by a neighboring property, then they should try to work it out with their neighbor. If the neighbor doesn’t comply, the township should step in.

At the same time, townships should be reasonable in enforcing ordinances.

Some townships have not always been stringent on nuisance ordinance enforcement. But with the influx of development in many parts of the county, they are now becoming stricter.

As a result, some residents might be unfamiliar with their community’s nuisance laws.

Townships should better publicize these laws. On several township websites, it takes a fair amount of digging around to locate the relative information.

Lastly, those complaining about their neighbors should only do so for actual quality-of-life disruptions. You may not enjoy your neighbor’s holiday display, but it might not warrant a complaint.