5 rules for unincorporated Humboldt County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Humboldt County does not impose a fixed grass-height limit (e.g., 6 or 12 inches) by ordinance in unincorporated areas. Instead, tall, dry vegetation can be abated as a public nuisance under Humboldt County Code section 351 et seq., and within State Responsibility Areas and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, Public Resources Code section 4291 requires defensible space, which Cal Fire interprets as keeping annual grasses cut and dry vegetation removed within 30 feet of structures.
Cal. Gov. Code section 25845
The board of supervisors, by ordinance, may establish a procedure for the abatement of a nuisance ... The owner or possessor of property shall receive notice and an opportunity to be heard before the abatement, except in the case of a nuisance that poses an immediate threat to public health or safety ... The cost of abatement, together with administrative costs, may be made a special assessment...
In Humboldt County's State Responsibility Area and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, California Public Resources Code section 4291 requires maintenance of 100 feet of defensible space around structures, including removing tree portions within 10 feet of a chimney/stovepipe outlet and keeping trees free of dead or dying wood. Coast Redwood and other large tree removals in the unincorporated coastal zone are also separately regulated under Humboldt County Code section 313-64 (Tree Protection).
Cal. Pub. Res. Code section 4291(a)
A person who owns, leases, controls, operates, or maintains an occupied dwelling or occupied structure in, upon, or adjoining a mountainous area, forest-covered lands, brush-covered lands, grass-covered lands, or any land that is covered with flammable material, shall at all times do all of the following: (1) Maintain defensible space of 100 feet from each side and from the front and rear of th...
Humboldt County abates weeds and overgrown vegetation as public nuisances under Humboldt County Code section 351 et seq. (Abatement of Public Nuisances), amended by Ordinance 2457. State-listed noxious weeds are separately regulated by the County Agricultural Commissioner under California Food and Agricultural Code section 5004.
Cal. Gov. Code section 39561
The legislative body may declare as a public nuisance and abate all weeds growing upon the streets, sidewalks, or private property in the city.
Since January 1, 2023, Humboldt County's Building Division enforces California's Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) for new and renovated landscapes in unincorporated areas. State law (Gov. Code section 65595) requires every California local agency to either adopt a local water-efficient landscape ordinance at least as effective as the state model or default to the state MWELO.
Cal. Gov. Code section 65595(c)-(d)
On or before January 1, 2010, a local agency shall adopt one of the following: (1) A water efficient landscape ordinance that is, based on evidence in the record, at least as effective in conserving water as the updated model ordinance adopted by the department pursuant to subdivision (a). (2) The updated model ordinance adopted by the department pursuant to subdivision (a). ... If a local agen...
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