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

Tulare County's Ordinance Code does not impose a uniform residential grass-height cap, but Part IV, Chapter 11 (Fire Hazardous Weeds and Rubbish) defines "grass" as any herbaceous plant which is cultivated and which attains, when mature, if uncontrolled, such a height as to be a medium for the rapid spread of fire. Combined with the chapter's definition of "weed" (any plant, whether herbaceous or woody and of whatever height, except a tree, which grows wild), this lets the County Fire Chief declare overgrown grass a public nuisance under § 4-11-1065 when, dry, it creates a fire hazard or constitutes a danger to neighboring property or to the health or welfare of residents of the vicinity. The Hazard Abatement Program standards published by Tulare County Fire specify that mowed fuelbreaks shall be 40 feet wide and mowed crossbreaks 20 feet wide at a height of 3 inches due to the ability of remaining surface material to sustain fire growth, and that 30-foot fuelbreaks shall be provided around all structures and combustible storage. Compliance is most critical during the high fire months of April through October, and the standard is not a one-time observance — property owners may need to mow more than once per season.