5 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Butte County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Butte County Code Chapter 32A and California Health & Safety Code section 14875 declare overgrown grass, weeds, brush, and other flammable vegetation a public nuisance subject to abatement, but the County Code does not fix a specific inch-height limit. Defensible-space clearance standards (PRC 4291) and CAL FIRE annual inspections drive practical compliance.
Butte County Code section 32A-2(a) (Ord. 3824, July 23, 2002)
32A-2 Condition creating public nuisance. (a) Public Nuisance. A public nuisance shall be deemed to exist when any of the following conditions or circumstances are present: (1) Anything which is injurious to health, poses a significant potential to cause economic and/or physical injury or damage to persons or property, or constitutes a significant detriment to the prevention or suppression of f...
In Butte County's State Responsibility Area and any Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, California Public Resources Code section 4291 requires property owners to maintain 100 feet of defensible space around every structure, remove any portion of a tree within 10 feet of a chimney or stovepipe outlet, and keep trees and shrubs adjacent to buildings clear of dead or dying wood. The County has not adopted a separate municipal tree-removal permit ordinance for private residential parcels.
California Public Resources Code section 4291(a)(1)-(4)
(a)(1)(A) Maintain defensible space of 100 feet from each side and from the front and rear of the structure, but not beyond the property line except as provided in subparagraph (B). The amount of fuel modification necessary shall take into account the flammability of the structure as affected by such factors as roofing material, building material, overall surface area, and total volume. (a)(2) ...
Butte County applies oak woodland mitigation requirements to discretionary development projects under its draft Oak Woodland Mitigation Ordinance and CEQA. Up to 10% canopy removal is generally not significant; 10%–70% removal triggers mandatory replacement; removal of more than 70% is prohibited.
Butte County abates seasonal weeds, brush, and other flammable vegetation as a public nuisance under County Code Chapter 32A and the state weed-abatement scheme in California Health & Safety Code sections 14875-14922. Most of the County's high-risk foothill area also falls under PRC 4291 defensible-space enforcement by CAL FIRE / Butte County Fire.
California Health & Safety Code section 14875
14875. As used in this article 'weeds' includes any of the following: (a) Weeds which bear seeds of a downy or wingy nature. (b) Sagebrush, chaparral, and any other brush or weeds which attain such large growth as to become, when dry, a fire menace to adjacent improved property. (c) Weeds which are otherwise noxious or dangerous. (d) Poison oak and poison ivy when the conditions of growth are s...
Butte County has not adopted a stand-alone Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance, so California's Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO, 23 CCR Div. 2 Ch. 2.7) applies by default; General Plan Policy W-P2.11 also requires landscaping projects to use drought-tolerant native plants. Day-to-day outdoor watering schedules are set by the retail water purveyor (Cal Water, Del Oro, Paradise Irrigation District, etc.), not by the County.
Butte County General Plan 2040 Policies W-P2.11, COS-P8.2, COS-P8.4 (adopted March 28, 2023)
W-P2.11 Landscaping projects shall use native plants that will continue to be viable in the area under long-term drought conditions. ... COS-P8.2 New landscaping shall promote the use of xeriscape and native tree and plant species, including those valued for traditional Native American cultural uses. COS-P8.4 Introduction or spread of invasive plant species during construction of development pr...
1 cities in Butte County have their own landscaping rules rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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