9 rules for unincorporated Del Norte County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Unincorporated Del Norte County sets no specific lawn-grass height limit. Overgrown vegetation is regulated only when it becomes a public nuisance (unsightly, harboring vermin) or a fire hazard. There is no routine countywide mowing standard in the County Code for ordinary residential lawns.
Unincorporated Del Norte County has no general urban tree-trimming permit ordinance for ordinary yard trees. In the coastal zone, removing or harvesting major vegetation can count as 'development' needing a permit. Fire-zone parcels must clear vegetation for defensible space under state law (PRC 4291).
Outside the coastal zone, unincorporated Del Norte County has no general yard-tree removal permit. In the coastal zone, removing 'major vegetation' is 'development' (Title 21, 21.04.195) and can require a coastal development permit. Commercial timber harvesting is governed by the state Forest Practice Act, not a county permit.
Del Norte County's main weed ordinance targets tansy ragwort: County Code 7.40.50 makes it an infraction to let tansy flower within 150 feet of a property line bordering land that is tansy-free or being controlled. The County also uses California's weed-and-rubbish abatement law (Gov. Code 39560 et seq.).
Del Norte County adopted a Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) on March 24, 2020 for qualifying new and renovated landscapes. California's statewide SWRCB rules also prohibit wasteful outdoor watering that causes runoff. In the county's very wet coastal climate, day-of-week watering schedules are not a county focus.
Unincorporated Del Norte County has no ordinance prohibiting rainwater collection. Under California's Rainwater Capture Act (AB 1750), residential rain-barrel systems need no state water-right permit and no local permit, except when disconnecting a downspout from a sewer. In this wet coastal county, harvesting is straightforward.
Unincorporated Del Norte County encourages efficient, low-water landscaping through its 2020 Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance and protects native wooded and riparian habitat in the coastal zone (Title 21). There is no rule forcing native plants on a typical yard, and no county ban on native landscaping.
Unincorporated Del Norte County has no ordinance banning artificial turf on residential property. Under California law, HOAs cannot prohibit synthetic grass (Civil Code 4735 / AB 349). State law (Gov. Code 53087.7) does not count artificial turf as 'drought-tolerant landscaping,' so a county may still set reasonable standards.
Backyard composting is allowed in unincorporated Del Norte County. California's SB 1383 (effective January 2022) requires organic-waste recycling statewide, with curbside organics collection through local haulers. The County Agricultural Commissioner advises NOT composting toxic tansy ragwort, sending it instead to the transfer station as general waste.
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