Ontario requires owners to keep lots free of dry weeds, brush, and rubbish under the municipal nuisance code and CA H and S 14875. Uncleared parcels are abated by city contractor at owner cost.
Ontario Municipal Code public nuisance chapters, together with California Health and Safety Code 14875 through 14922 and the California Fire Code as adopted, require owners of occupied and vacant parcels to keep property free of dry weeds, grass over a set height, dead brush, rubbish, and other fire fuel. Ontario Code Enforcement conducts annual weed abatement inspections each spring, typically issuing a notice to abate by early May with 15 to 30 days to comply. Although Ontario sits on the valley floor outside state-designated Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, Santa Ana winds, adjacent vacant lots, and industrial yards create real ignition risk. Clearance standards generally require cutting vegetation to no more than three to four inches, removing dead material, and maintaining defensible spacing around structures. If the owner fails to comply, the city contracts the abatement and records the cost as a special assessment against the property. Complaints go to Code Enforcement at 909-395-2025.
Notice to abate with a compliance deadline, followed by city contractor abatement billed to the owner plus administrative fees, and recorded as a lien if unpaid. Repeat violators face escalating administrative citations.
Ontario, CA
Outdoor music is regulated under OMC Title 5 Chapter 29 and the special-event permit process. Venues and events with amplified sound need a city permit; resi...
Ontario, CA
Aircraft noise from Ontario International Airport (ONT) is regulated by the FAA, not the city. ONT runs an FAA Part 150 noise compatibility program; federal ...
Ontario, CA
Ontario requires a building permit for masonry walls and any fence over 7 feet under the California Building Code. Retaining walls over 4 feet also require p...
Ontario, CA
Ontario fence requirements include zoning-based heights, setbacks, sight triangles, buffer walls on industrial edges, and CBC structural standards. Pool, ret...
Ontario, CA
Ontario limits residential fence heights under the Development Code. Typical maximums are 6 feet rear/side, 3 feet front, and 42 inches in sight-distance tri...
Ontario, CA
Ontario requires dogs to be leashed off-property under OMC Title 6. Maximum leash length is 6 feet, with owner control required in all public spaces except d...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in San Bernardino County.
See how other cities in San Bernardino County handle brush clearance.
See how Ontario's brush clearance rules stack up against other locations.
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