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

San Benito County does not set a single across-the-board lawn-height number (for example, a flat 6- or 12-inch limit) in its ordinances for unincorporated parcels. Instead, the County addresses tall, dry, or dead vegetation through its public-nuisance provisions. The County Code's nuisance section (Section 1.06.030) defines a nuisance to include 'overgrown, dead, decayed, deceased or hazardous trees and vegetation that can attract rodents and other nuisances or constitute a fire hazard or is dangerous to the public safety and welfare.' In 2023, the Hollister Fire Department proposed amending the weed-abatement code (Section 19.37.120) to bar weeds taller than three feet on parcels of five acres or less and to require fuel breaks on larger parcels, but the Board of Supervisors rejected those specific numeric rules and kept the existing nuisance-based standard. Separately, owners of structures on mountainous, forest-, brush-, or grass-covered land in the State Responsibility Area must maintain defensible space under California Public Resources Code 4291. Because thresholds vary, confirm requirements for your parcel with the County before assuming a specific height applies.