Woodland, CA Fire Regulations: Brush Clearance (2026)
Key Facts
- Ordering authority
- Fire Chief or authorized representative
- Trigger
- firebreak needed to protect improved property
- Fire-hazard vegetation examples
- sagebrush, chaparral, dry brush, litter
- Notice before hearing
- posted at least 5 days ahead
- Appeal window
- 10 days to City Council
- Cost recovery
- special assessment/lien, Gov't Code §§ 39577-39585
Summary
In the City of Woodland, California, the Fire Chief can order an adequate firebreak on a property under Woodland Municipal Code § 9.44.010(B) whenever one is needed to protect adjacent improved property from fire exposure, and § 9.44.020 defines fire-hazard vegetation, such as sagebrush, chaparral, and dry flammable brush, as a nuisance weed subject to abatement.
B. Cultivated and useful grasses and pastures shall not be declared a public nuisance. However, if the Fire Chief or authorized representative determines that a firebreak is necessary to protect adjacent improved property from fire exposures, an adequate firebreak shall be required as determined by the Fire Chief or representative. ... ... B. Sagebrush, chaparral, and any other brush or weeds which attain such large growth as to become, when dry, a fire menace to adjacent improved property. ... ... E. Dry grass, stubble, brush, litter, or other flammable material which endangers the public safety by creating a fire hazard.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 9.44 (Weed Abatement) exempts cultivated and useful grasses and pastures from the general weed-nuisance declaration, but § 9.44.010(B) carves that exemption back if the Fire Chief or an authorized representative determines a firebreak is necessary to protect adjacent improved property from fire exposure; in that case an adequate firebreak becomes mandatory as the Fire Chief specifies. Section 9.44.020 defines fire-related nuisance weeds as sagebrush, chaparral, and any brush or weeds that grow large enough to become a fire menace when dry (subsection B), and separately as dry grass, stubble, brush, litter, or other flammable material that creates a fire hazard endangering public safety (subsection E).
Once the Fire Chief finds such a nuisance on a lot, premises, or adjacent sidewalk or street, § 9.44.030 lets the Fire Chief issue a written declaration, including a seasonal-and-recurrent designation for repeat parcels that can require preventive chemical control. The Code Compliance Officer posts or mails notice at least five days before a hearing (§ 9.44.040), the Fire Chief holds the hearing and issues a written abatement order (§§ 9.44.060, 9.44.070), and the owner may self-abate before the deadline (§ 9.44.080) or the City abates and bills the cost, which becomes a lien on the parcel under Government Code §§ 39577 through 39585 (§§ 9.44.090, 9.44.130).
Violations & Fines
Ignoring a Fire Chief firebreak or abatement order lets the City or a private contractor clear the fire hazard and bill the owner directly; unpaid costs are confirmed after a hearing and recorded as a special assessment lien with judgment-lien priority against the parcel under § 9.44.130. Section 9.44.150 also lets the City Attorney pursue a separate civil or criminal nuisance proceeding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the Fire Chief require a firebreak on my Woodland property?
What counts as fire-hazard vegetation under Woodland's weed ordinance?
What happens if I don't clear brush after a Woodland Fire Chief order?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Woodland
California rules heatmap·Compare Woodland to another location·View the California fire regulations overview
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