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

Del Norte County does not publish a numeric grass-height limit (such as a 6-inch or 12-inch cap) for residential lawns in the unincorporated area. Instead, vegetation becomes regulated only when it crosses into a public-nuisance or fire-hazard condition. The County's nuisance provisions in the County Code (Title 7) allow Code Enforcement to declare overgrown vegetation that is unsightly or likely to harbor rats, vermin, or accumulate trash and debris to be a public nuisance subject to abatement. Separately, the County's weed and rubbish abatement authority rests on California Government Code Sections 39500 et seq. and 39560 et seq., the state statutes that let counties order property owners to remove weeds and rubbish that are a fire menace or otherwise noxious. Because Del Norte sits in a very wet, redwood-forest coastal climate, dry-grass fire-fuel concerns are most relevant on south-facing inland parcels and in the State Responsibility Area, where CAL FIRE's Public Resources Code 4291 defensible-space rule (100 feet of clearance around structures) also applies. The Code Enforcement Division of the Community Development Department investigates complaints and follows a notice-and-citation process. Routine, well-kept lawns are not targeted; enforcement focuses on blighted lots and fire-fuel buildup, not blade height.