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1. What does lawn care cost in North Terre Haute?
2. Which grass rule applies here?
3. Does the city pick up leaves out here?
4. Why does the soil behave differently up here?
5. Where is North Terre Haute?
6. Questions

North Terre Haute is not part of the City of Terre Haute. It is an unincorporated community in Otter Creek Township, so the county's grass rules apply, not the city's, and the lots are newer, bigger and often sandier than in town.

What does lawn care cost in North Terre Haute?

Lot size	Mowing, trim, edge and blowper visit	Fertilization and weed controlper treatment	Seasonal cleanup (leaf mulching)per cleanup	Core aerationper visit
¼ acre	$49	$66	$147	$249
½ acre	$54–$61	$73–$82	$162–$183	$249
¾ acre	$63–$71	$85–$96	$189–$213	$249
1 acre	$70–$80	$95–$108	$210–$240	$249–$286

Mowing, trim, edge and blowper visit

¼ acre

$49

½ acre

$54–$61

¾ acre

$63–$71

1 acre

$70–$80

Fertilization and weed controlper treatment

¼ acre

$66

½ acre

$73–$82

¾ acre

$85–$96

1 acre

$95–$108

Seasonal cleanup (leaf mulching)per cleanup

¼ acre

$147

½ acre

$162–$183

¾ acre

$189–$213

1 acre

$210–$240

Core aerationper visit

¼ acre

$249

½ acre

$249

¾ acre

$249

1 acre

$249–$286

The median home here was built in 1969, against 1957 in the city. A 1960s or 1970s lot usually has more open grass, wider frontage, an attached garage and no alley, so there is less trimming for each square foot of grass, and on our schedule a bigger lawn costs less per square foot. Past the subdivisions, lots get large quickly; an acre or more is priced on the grass we measure, like any other lawn.

Which grass rule applies here?

Vigo County Code Chapter 47, not Terre Haute's Sec. 6-170. The city's ordinance only reaches property "within the corporate limits of the City", and the county lists North Terre Haute among its unincorporated areas. The height limit is the same eight inches. Almost everything after that is different:

Height limit, Chapter 47

8inches

To cure, in the ordinance

5days

County charge up to ½ acre

$250

County charge above ½ acre

$400

On a small lot, the county's flat $250 is likely more than the cut was worth. The city's rules are covered on the Terre Haute page.

If you live near the city line, check your address on the county's GIS or call. Annexation moves the line, and a letter will come from a different office, on a different clock, depending on which side you are on.

Does the city pick up leaves out here?

No. The loose-leaf sweep is run by the Terre Haute Street Department for the city, and it does not serve unincorporated North Terre Haute.

Without the city's vacuum, leaves have to be hauled away, which makes a fall cleanup here a bigger job than the same yard in town. See seasonal cleanup. The city does not collect a homeowner's cut brush anywhere, so that part is the same.

Why does the soil behave differently up here?

Much of the county sits on wet, slow-draining Iva silt loam. The north end is where the sandy soils start: Sandcut was named in 1927 for its sandy ground, and Elston sandy loam, the county's second most common soil at about 19,125 acres, is well-drained outwash that takes water fast and holds little of it.

On sandy ground a lawn behaves the opposite way to one in town:

• It drains well, so it can be worked earlier in spring without rutting.
• It dries out fast in July and loses colour weeks before a silt loam lawn.
• Fertilizer leaches, so lighter, more frequent applications beat one heavy feeding. See fertilization.

Where is North Terre Haute?

Lafayette Avenue is the main road, with North Clinton Street, Fruitridge Avenue, Haythorne Avenue and East Park Avenue around it, all in ZIP 47805. The named places around it: Markles, Spelterville, Sandcut, Burnett, Atherton, Otter Creek Junction, Preston, Dewey, Terre Town and Parkview. The Markle Mill site and 1848 Markle House on Otter Creek, at 4900 Mill Dam Road, are on the National Register and are now a county park.

Questions