Grass and weed height in the City of Napa is regulated under the Weed and Rubbish Abatement provisions of the Municipal Code (Title 8, Chapter 8.24), administered by the Napa Fire Department Fire Prevention Bureau through the annual Weed Abatement Program. All weeds, thistles, rank grass, brush, berry vines, and dead or dying trees on private property (including the adjoining sidewalk area) and on streets and alleys are declared public nuisances. The City requires weeds and grass to be cut to a maximum height of four inches and combustible debris cleared 30 feet from any structure, with abatement work completed by June 1 each year and maintained throughout fire season.
Napa's high-grass and weed program is set out in the Weed and Rubbish Abatement chapter of the Municipal Code (https://ecode360.com/43391667), supplemented by the Fire Prevention Bureau's annual Weed Abatement Program (https://www.cityofnapa.org/931/Weed-Abatement-Program). The Code declares all weeds, thistles, rank grass, brush, berry vines, and dead or dying trees located on private property (including the adjoining sidewalk area), streets, and alleys to be public nuisances. Dead, decayed, diseased, or hazardous trees, weeds, and overgrown vegetation that remain on a property for 72 consecutive hours and create a hazardous condition to pedestrian or vehicular traffic are also nuisances. The City Weed Abatement Program requires property owners to cut all weeds and grass to a maximum height of four inches, limb up trees, and clear combustible debris within 30 feet of structures, with abatement completed by June 1 and maintained throughout fire season. The standard aligns with California Public Resources Code §4291 defensible space requirements for parcels in or near State Responsibility Areas, and with the Fire Code (Title 14, Chapter 14.04) adopting the California Fire Code. The Fire Prevention Bureau issues inspection notices and follows a notice-and-cure procedure: notice by certified mail to the owner and (where appropriate) the occupant or agent, with abatement required within 10 days of posting or certified-mail service (whichever is later). Outside the city limits, Napa County's unincorporated parcels are subject to County Code Chapter 8.36 (Fire Protection in Hazardous Areas) administered by CAL FIRE.
Failure to abate weeds, rank grass, brush, or other listed nuisance vegetation after the 10-day notice authorizes the Fire Prevention Bureau to remove or cause the removal of the vegetation and assess the cost to the owner. Unpaid abatement costs become a special assessment or tax lien on the parcel under standard municipal cost-recovery authority. Continuing violations during fire season may be charged as separate offenses for each day uncorrected and may also trigger administrative citation under the Code's general enforcement provisions. Parcels in or near State Responsibility Areas additionally face CAL FIRE enforcement under PRC §4291.
Napa, CA
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See how Napa's grass height limits rules stack up against other locations.
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