Fullerton Grass Height Limits Rules (2026): What You Need to Know

Fullerton's property maintenance standards require all residential and commercial property owners and occupants to keep their yards, lawns, and landscaped areas in a condition that does not create nuisance conditions for neighbors or the surrounding community. The city's approach is rooted in its nuisance abatement and property maintenance ordinances, which address overgrown vegetation as part of a broader framework covering exterior property upkeep, weed control, debris removal, and fire hazard prevention.

The Fullerton Municipal Code does not establish a single, universally applicable numeric grass-height limit in the manner of some cities that specify, for example, a strict 8-inch or 10-inch maximum. Instead, the code frames the obligation in terms of maintaining the property free from conditions that constitute a nuisance — including excessive weed growth, dead or overgrown vegetation, and conditions that attract vermin or pose fire hazards. In practice, Fullerton's Code Enforcement Division treats unmaintained grass and weeds that have grown to approximately 12 inches or more as presumptively excessive, particularly when the growth covers a significant portion of the yard rather than isolated ornamental plantings. Officers use professional judgment based on the overall condition of the property, the type of vegetation, and whether the growth creates any of the hazards the ordinance is designed to prevent.

During the spring and summer months, when Southern California's climate promotes rapid weed growth, code enforcement activity increases. Fullerton lies in a region subject to seasonal fire risk, and dried, unmaintained vegetation is a particular concern in neighborhoods adjacent to open space or hillside areas. Property owners in these locations should be especially diligent about clearing dried grass, brush, and dead vegetation to comply with both the city's property maintenance standards and Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) fire clearance requirements. OCFA may issue separate fire clearance notices for properties in very high fire hazard severity zones, requiring vegetation management within specified distances from structures.

Vegetation that encroaches over or onto public sidewalks, bike lanes, or roadways must be trimmed back so that the full width of the sidewalk and any required vertical clearance (generally 8 feet over sidewalks and 14 feet over roadways) is maintained. Overgrown hedges and landscaping that obstruct sight-distance triangles at intersections or driveway approaches may also be cited as traffic safety hazards. The Fullerton Code Enforcement Division accepts complaints through the city's website, by phone at (714) 738-6884, or through the Fullerton mobile reporting app. Complaints may also be referred from neighbors, HOAs, or city staff during routine area inspections.