9 rules for unincorporated San Benito County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Unincorporated San Benito County has no fixed numeric grass-height limit in its code. Overgrown, dead, or hazardous vegetation that creates a fire hazard or attracts vermin is handled as a public nuisance under the County Code, and properties on rural fire-prone land must also meet California's 100-foot defensible-space law.
Routine pruning of trees on your own property in unincorporated San Benito County generally does not need a permit, but heavy cutting that effectively removes or kills a protected tree can fall under the County's tree-protection and woodland-conservation rules. Owners on fire-prone land must also keep defensible space clear.
Unincorporated San Benito County regulates tree removal under both a Tree Protection ordinance (County Code Chapter 25, Article 7) for residential districts and a Woodlands chapter (Chapter 19.33) protecting native trees countywide. Removing a protected tree generally requires a permit from the Planning Director.
San Benito County requires owners of unincorporated property to control weeds and hazardous vegetation that create a fire hazard or public nuisance, under County Code Section 19.37.120 and the nuisance provision (Section 1.06.030). The Agriculture Department runs a weed-management program; rural structures must also meet state defensible-space law.
Day-to-day outdoor watering rules in unincorporated San Benito County are set mainly by California state law and local water suppliers rather than a countywide watering schedule. State law permanently bans certain wasteful uses and is phasing out watering of non-functional turf at commercial and institutional sites.
Rainwater harvesting is legal in unincorporated San Benito County and across California. State law (the Rainwater Capture Act of 2012) lets property owners collect rooftop rainwater without a water-right permit. Simple rain barrels need no permit, though larger systems and any plumbing tie-ins follow building codes.
Unincorporated San Benito County does not require or prohibit native-plant landscaping for private yards, but its Water Efficiency Landscape Ordinance (following state MWELO) favors low-water and climate-appropriate plants on regulated projects. Native trees and woodlands are separately protected from removal under Chapter 19.33.
Unincorporated San Benito County has no specific ordinance banning or expressly authorizing residential artificial turf. Installations must meet general zoning, drainage, and setback rules, and synthetic lawn can count toward the low-water landscape goals in the County's Water Efficiency Landscape Ordinance.
Backyard composting is allowed in unincorporated San Benito County and is encouraged by California's statewide organics law, SB 1383. That law requires residents and businesses to keep organic waste (food scraps and yard debris) out of the landfill, generally through curbside green-waste collection or self-hauling and on-site composting.
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