9 rules for unincorporated Mono County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Unincorporated Mono County has no general lawn-mowing height ordinance. Vegetation height is governed by wildfire fuel-modification rules: the County's Fire Safe Regulation (Chapter 22) caps grass at 18 inches beyond 30 feet of a structure, and state law PRC 4291 requires annual grasses cut to about 4 inches within defensible space in State Responsibility Areas.
Unincorporated Mono County has no general permit requirement for routine pruning of private trees. The main trimming rules are wildfire-driven: Chapter 22 Fire Safe Regulation requires tree branches kept at least 10 feet from chimney/stovepipe outlets and removal of dead or overhanging limbs, mirroring state PRC 4291 defensible-space standards.
Unincorporated Mono County has no general heritage-tree ordinance requiring a permit to remove a private tree by species or size. Removal is shaped instead by wildfire fuel-modification rules (Chapter 22 / PRC 4291), invasive-tree removal encouraged by the General Plan, and development-related vegetation review; trees on federal or LADWP land follow those agencies' rules.
Two regimes govern weeds in unincorporated Mono County. Fire-hazard vegetation (dry brush, weeds, grass near structures) is abated through Chapter 22 Fire Safe Regulation and state PRC 4291 defensible-space law. Noxious/invasive weeds are managed by the Inyo/Mono Agricultural Commissioner through the Eastern Sierra Weed Management Area.
Mono County's General Plan commits to implementing the Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (Action 3.C.3.a) and requires water-conservation measures as a condition of approval for water-intensive development (Policy 3.C.3). Where the County has no local WELO provision, California's statewide Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) and State Water Board drought rules control.
Rooftop rainwater harvesting is broadly allowed. Under California's Rainwater Capture Act of 2012 (Water Code 10574), capturing rooftop rainwater needs no state water-right permit, and the County's General Plan actively encourages rain gardens and vegetated infiltration as low-impact development. Larger or potable cisterns still follow the California Plumbing/Building Code.
Mono County's Conservation/Open Space Element strongly favors native vegetation. Landscape plans must incorporate native vegetation where feasible, non-native plantings require assessment and mitigation, invasive non-native species shall not be approved, and revegetation should use local native stock. There is no native-only mandate for ordinary home gardens.
Unincorporated Mono County has no ordinance banning residential artificial turf. Under California Civil Code 4735, homeowners associations cannot prohibit synthetic grass on a member's separate-interest property. Drainage, grading, and stormwater permits may still apply, and development landscape plans favor native, water-efficient design.
California's SB 1383, effective January 1, 2022, requires organic-waste recycling statewide, including in Mono County, so residents must use a green/organics cart or self-haul or backyard-compost organics. Backyard composting is allowed and encouraged as a compliant option; the County's General Plan promotes on-site organic reuse.
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