The City Council declares weeds, rubbish, refuse and debris a public nuisance and runs an annual lot-clearing & weed-abatement program administered by Community Development under CMC Ch. 1.14. Owners receive notice and a hearing each spring; if vegetation isn't cleared, the City's contractor abates it and assesses costs against the parcel. On parcels in or adjacent to the LRA Very-High Fire Hazard Severity Zone east of town (Skyway / upper foothills), state law layers California Public Resources Code §4291 on top: 100 feet of defensible space around any structure (Zone 0: 0-5 ft ember-resistant — phasing in; Zone 1: 5-30 ft lean/clean/green; Zone 2: 30-100 ft reduced fuel).
CMC 1.14 — administrative nuisance-abatement chapter — gives the community development director authority to order abatement of weeds, rubbish, refuse and debris after notice and hearing per California Government Code Title 4, Division 3, Part 2, Ch. 13, Art. 2. The annual program adopts a council resolution each spring identifying parcels and setting a public hearing (e.g. Council Item 5.4, April 2021 resolution). Property owners may abate themselves before the contractor arrives. If the City does the work, the cost is recorded as a special assessment / tax lien on the parcel. Outside city limits, the CAL FIRE/Butte County FD administers PRC §4291 — 100-ft defensible space, plus AB 3074 Zone 0 ember-resistant zone 0-5 ft around structures (CCR Title 14 §1299.03 implementing regs are phasing in). Chico parcels in updated CAL FIRE LRA Very-High FHSZ (released March 2025) must comply with both city weed-abatement orders and the state defensible-space standard.
Notice → hearing → City contractor abates → cost recovered as lien on parcel. Re-inspections; failure to maintain after abatement is a misdemeanor under CMC 1.16. State PRC §4291 violations carry administrative fines up to $5,000 per CAL FIRE inspection.
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