By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

CASCO — Sometimes, people wish that they could control how free of clutter and garbage their neighbor’s yard is.

While abutters cannot do anything to make a neighbor’s property more aesthetic, ordinances do allow a municipality to curb the clutter in yards.

The state law does not allow Mainers to have more than two unregistered vehicles in the yard of a private landowner. Three unregistered vehicles mean the person is in violation of the junkyard ordinance.

Recently, the Superior Court ruled that one Casco resident will be required to clean-up the clutter by mid-summer. 

Last week, Casco Town Manager Anthony “Tony” Ward reported that the judge ruled in favor of the town in a junkyard violation, which occurred at 12 Harmony Road.

“The owner has until July 11 to cleanup that property,” Ward said.

If that cleanup does not happen by the deadline, the town may go onto the property to remove junk and unregistered vehicles, he said.

If the town ends up doing the cleanup and incurring a cost for that task, there is a way that the town can get reimbursed through a special tax process, he said.

“The town was awarded $49,000 as a civil penalty that must be paid by July 1,” Ward said.

The town manager provided the update on the lawsuit to the Casco Board of Selectmen during its meeting on April 18.