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

There is no Yolo County ordinance that sets a numeric maximum grass or weed height (e.g., '12 inches') for a residential lawn. Overgrowth issues are addressed indirectly through nuisance abatement and statewide fire-safety law. California Public Resources Code Sec. 4291 - applicable in State Responsibility Areas, which cover most rural unincorporated Yolo County land - requires anyone who owns, leases, controls, operates, or maintains a building or structure on land covered by flammable material to 'Maintain defensible space of 100 feet from each side and from the front and rear of the structure, but not beyond the property line.' Within that perimeter, the intensity of fuel modification varies: an ember-resistant zone is required within 5 feet of the structure (Zone 0), with more intense fuel reductions between 5 and 30 feet (Zone 1), and reduced-fuel maintenance from 30 to 100 feet (Zone 2). Greater distances can be required by local ordinance. The Yolo County Resource Conservation District also coordinates a Yolo County Weed Management Area focused on noxious-weed (yellow star thistle, perennial pepperweed) abatement on agricultural and conservation lands, but this is a cooperative incentive program, not a height-based ordinance applicable to homeowners. Within incorporated cities (Davis, Woodland, West Sacramento, Winters), city-level weed/grass nuisance rules apply instead - the County Code does not govern incorporated parcels.