9 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Sutter County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Unincorporated Sutter County does not set a numeric lawn-height limit. Instead, County Code section 600-250 lets the County Fire Services Manager order removal of dry grass, stubble, brush, litter and other flammable material that creates a fire hazard, using the state Health and Safety Code abatement procedure.
Sutter County Code Sec. 600-250 (Ord. No. 1703, 1-24-2023)
The County Fire Services Manager may clear or order the clearing of land, or remove or order the removal of dry grass, stubble, brush, rubbish, litter or other inflammable materials if in his judgment, the inflammable materials endanger the public safety by creating a fire hazard. The provisions of Part 5, Division 12 of the Health and Safety Code of the State of California are made applicable ...
Unincorporated Sutter County has no general tree-trimming permit. The Zoning Code requires property owners to trim shrubs, trees or foliage that obscures safe sight distance at driveways and corners, and to keep required landscaping healthy and maintained.
Cal. Civ. Code Secs. 833-834
833. Trees whose trunks stand wholly upon the land of one owner belong exclusively to him, although their roots grow into the land of another. 834. Trees whose trunks stand partly on the land of two or more coterminous owners, belong to them in common.
Unincorporated Sutter County has no general tree-protection or oak-preservation ordinance. Most trees on private property may be removed without a county permit. The only siting limit appears in scenic/hillside combining districts, where development must be located to minimize tree removal.
Cal. Civ. Code Sec. 3346(a)
3346. (a) For wrongful injuries to timber, trees, or underwood upon the land of another, or removal thereof, the measure of damages is three times such sum as would compensate for the actual detriment, except that where the trespass was casual or involuntary, or that the defendant in any action brought under this section had probable cause to believe that the land on which the trespass was comm...
Unincorporated Sutter County abates weeds as a fire hazard, not a cosmetic nuisance. County Code section 600-250 authorizes the Fire Services Manager to order removal of dry grass, stubble, brush, rubbish and litter that endanger public safety, using the California Health and Safety Code weed-abatement procedure.
Cal. Health & Safety Code Sec. 14875 (adopted by Sutter County Code Sec. 600-250)
14875. 'Weeds,' as used in this part, means vegetation growing upon streets, sidewalks, or private property in any county, including any fire protection district and may include any of the following: (a) Vegetation that bears seeds of a downy or wingy nature. (b) Vegetation that is not pruned or is otherwise neglected so as to attain such large growth as to become, when dry, a fire menace to ad...
Sutter County applies California's Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) by reference. New landscapes of 500 sq ft or more, and rehabilitated landscapes over 2,500 sq ft, must meet MWELO water-budget rules. Day-to-day drought watering limits come from the State Water Board, not the County.
23 Cal. Code Regs. Sec. 490.1(a); Cal. Gov. Code Sec. 65595(d)
490.1. Applicability General Provisions. (a) After December 1, 2015, and consistent with Executive Order No. B-29-15, this ordinance shall apply to all of the following landscape projects: (1) new construction projects with an aggregate landscape area equal to or greater than 500 square feet requiring a building or landscape permit, plan check or design review; (2) rehabilitated landscape proje...
Unincorporated Sutter County has no ordinance restricting rainwater collection. Under California's Rainwater Capture Act of 2012 (AB 1750), homeowners may install and use rain barrels and simple rooftop capture systems for landscape use without a permit from the local agency.
Cal. Water Code Sec. 10574
10574. Use of rainwater collected from rooftops does not require a water right permit pursuant to Section 1201. (Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 537, Sec. 2. (AB 1750) Effective January 1, 2013.)
Sutter County encourages native and drought-tolerant landscaping and requires it in certain projects. In scenic/hillside combining districts, native and drought-tolerant plant materials, including native tree species, must be incorporated, and the County maintains a preferred Landscape Plant Materials List.
Cal. Gov. Code Sec. 53087.7
53087.7. (a) A city, including a charter city, county, or city and county, shall not enact any ordinance or regulation, or enforce any existing ordinance or regulation, that prohibits the installation of drought-tolerant landscaping using living plant material on residential property. (b) For the purposes of this section, 'drought-tolerant landscaping' shall not include the installation of synt...
Artificial turf is allowed in unincorporated Sutter County, but the Zoning Code treats it as a non-living hard surface. In R-2/R-3/R-4 residential and commercial/employment districts, hardscape including artificial turf may not exceed 25 percent of any planter or landscaped area.
Unincorporated Sutter County has no ordinance restricting backyard composting. Refuse rules (Chapter 710) require weekly trash removal and prohibit burying rubbish. Mandatory organic-waste recycling comes from California SB 1383, implemented through the County's collection program, not a county composting law.
1 cities in Sutter County have their own landscaping rules rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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