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

Oxnard Municipal Code Chapter 16 (Property and Premises Maintenance Standards) sets the foundational rules for vegetation maintenance on private property. The code identifies overgrown weeds, grass, and vegetation as conditions constituting a public nuisance when they: accumulate debris or provide harborage for rodents, insects, or vermin; create or contribute to a fire hazard due to the presence of dry, dead, or highly flammable plant material; obstruct pedestrian or vehicular sightlines; or otherwise impair the health, safety, and welfare of the community. Property owners who receive a notice of violation are given a compliance deadline — typically 10 to 30 days — to remove or trim the offending vegetation. Failure to comply allows the City to hire a contractor to abate the nuisance, with all costs charged to the property owner and recoverable as a lien against the real property.

Oxnard does not codify a single universal maximum grass height in inches for private front yards or rear yards — enforcement is based on a nuisance standard rather than a bright-line numeric rule. However, vegetation that is conspicuously taller than maintained neighboring properties, that has gone to seed, or that has browned and dried out is routinely cited. In the parkway — the strip of public right-of-way between the sidewalk and the curb — adjacent property owners are responsible for upkeep including mowing and irrigation. Parkway vegetation that becomes overgrown, dies, or creates a tripping hazard is treated as a code violation attributable to the abutting property owner. The City's Community Development Department, Code Compliance Division (805-385-7925), handles complaints and enforcement citywide.

Fire-safe vegetation management is an especially important consideration in Oxnard. The city sits at the western edge of Ventura County's agricultural plain, where dry summers and Santa Ana wind events create elevated wildfire risk, and many residential areas are located within or adjacent to zones served by the Ventura County Fire Department. Under California Public Resources Code Section 4291 and County Fire regulations, structures must have a minimum 100-foot defensible space zone cleared of flammable vegetation. Oxnard property owners in fire-hazard severity zones may receive annual inspections from Ventura County Fire personnel. In addition, the City actively encourages water-efficient, drought-tolerant landscaping under its compliance with California Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (AB 1881 / MWELO) standards, and turf removal rebates may be available through Calleguas Municipal Water District, which serves much of Oxnard.