Colusa County, CA Landscaping Rules: Grass Height Limits (2026)

Colusa County has no decorative lawn-height standard, but it does regulate tall grass and weeds as a fire hazard. Chapter 7A of the Colusa County Code (Ord. No. 437) declares that the seasonal growth of weeds in the unincorporated county is a recurring nuisance. Section 7A-2 defines 'weeds' to include grasses or other vegetation that may attain large growth and become a fire menace when dry. Section 7A-3 requires every owner of an improved or vacant lot to remove all weeds in excess of three inches high from a fifty-foot strip surrounding the exterior of any improvement (or up to the property line if the structure sits within fifty feet of it). For vacant parcels abutting an improved parcel, clearance must extend fifty feet from the neighboring improvement. Removal may be done by discing, rototilling, mowing, plowing, or cutting, but not by burning, and growth must be reduced to three inches or less. The deadline each year is the 'plow down date' fixed by majority vote of the County Fire Chiefs Association based on soil and climate conditions. Inside the incorporated cities of Colusa and Williams, those cities' own codes apply instead.