9 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 3 cities in Solano County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Unincorporated Solano County has no countywide ordinance setting a specific lawn grass-height limit (such as a 6- or 12-inch maximum) for residential yards. Overgrown or dead vegetation is instead addressed two ways: as a public nuisance under Solano County Code Chapter 10, and as a wildfire fuel under California Public Resources Code Section 4291 (defensible space) in the State Responsibility Area.
Solano County Code Chapter 10 (Abatement of Public Nuisances)
Any violation of the Solano County Code is declared to be a public nuisance. A public nuisance is also any condition that constitutes a nuisance as defined in Sections 3479 and 3480 of the Civil Code.
Unincorporated Solano County has no general ordinance regulating how you trim trees on your own property. For wildfire safety in the State Responsibility Area, California Public Resources Code Section 4291 requires clearing limbs and vegetation to maintain 100 feet of defensible space, including removing dead branches and creating vertical clearance. Boundary-tree and overhanging-limb disputes are handled under California Civil Code, not county code.
Solano County Code Chapter 31 (Ordinance 1087, effective January 25, 1980)
Exposure of soil to erosion by removal of vegetation shall be limited to the smallest area practical and for the shortest time practical.
Unincorporated Solano County has no standalone countywide tree-protection or tree-removal-permit ordinance for trees on private residential land; the Solano County Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 28) contains no general tree-preservation chapter. Tree and oak-woodland protection arises mainly through the 2008 General Plan resource policies, CEQA review on development projects, and permit conditions - not a blanket cut-a-tree permit.
Unincorporated Solano County does not have a separate numbered weed-abatement chapter; overgrown, dead, or hazardous vegetation is abated as a public nuisance under Solano County Code Chapter 10. In the State Responsibility Area, California Public Resources Code Section 4291 requires 100 feet of defensible space, and local fire districts inspect for hazardous vegetation. The Agricultural Commissioner separately controls noxious and invasive weeds.
Solano County Code Chapter 10 (Abatement of Public Nuisances)
An enforcement officer or hearing officer may order any person who causes, permits or maintains or threatens to cause, permit or maintain a nuisance, to abate the nuisance.
Unincorporated Solano County adopts the California Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) at Solano County Code Chapter 13.5, applying to new landscapes of 500+ square feet and rehabilitated landscapes of 2,500+ square feet. Day-to-day drought and outdoor-watering restrictions are set by the State Water Resources Control Board and by individual local water suppliers, not by a county watering-schedule ordinance.
Solano County Water Efficient Landscapes Program (implementing 23 CCR Sec. 490-495)
New landscape projects with total landscape area at least 500 square feet or renovated landscape area at least 2500 square feet must be approved prior to project installation.
Rainwater harvesting is legal and encouraged in unincorporated Solano County. There is no county ordinance prohibiting rain barrels or cisterns; California law (the Rainwater Capture Act of 2012) permits residential rooftop capture without a water-rights permit. Under the County's adopted MWELO (Chapter 13.5), landscapes irrigated entirely with captured rainwater or graywater receive a streamlined compliance path.
Unincorporated Solano County does not mandate native or drought-tolerant plants for ordinary home landscaping, but its adopted Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (Chapter 13.5, applying state MWELO) strongly favors low-water and climate-appropriate species by capping a project's water budget. Regulated landscapes must stay within a Maximum Applied Water Allowance, which in practice pushes designs toward native and water-wise plants.
Unincorporated Solano County has no ordinance specifically prohibiting or specially permitting synthetic/artificial turf on residential property. Under the County's adopted MWELO (Chapter 13.5), artificial turf counts as a non-irrigated surface and is treated favorably for water-efficiency compliance. Large installations may trigger grading, drainage, or stormwater requirements through Building & Safety Services.
Backyard composting is allowed and encouraged in unincorporated Solano County. Statewide law SB 1383 makes organic-waste recycling mandatory: residents and businesses in the unincorporated county must subscribe to organics (green-cart) collection unless granted an exemption by the County's Environmental Health Division. The County runs an Organic Waste Reduction Program and an Edible Food Recovery Program to meet SB 1383 targets.
3 cities in Solano County have their own landscaping rules rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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