Westminster, CA Landscaping Rules: Grass Height Limits (2026)

Westminster regulates overgrown yards through its nuisance-abatement framework, not a fixed mowing height. Under Westminster Municipal Code Section 8.20.030 (Declaration of nuisance), it is a public nuisance for any person owning, leasing, occupying, or having charge of property to maintain or permit vegetation, including trees, weeds, shrubbery, and grass, cultivated or uncultivated, that is overgrown, dead, decayed, or diseased in such a manner as to permit the breeding or harboring of rats, vermin, insects, or other animals dangerous to public health, safety, or general welfare. The same section addresses accumulated rubbish, junk, trash, and debris in yard areas. The City's Code Enforcement Division ('Codes for a Better Community') states that failing to keep property free of rubbish, overgrown vegetation, and weeds is a violation. Chapter 8.20 sets out the procedure: the City gives notice of the conditions and an opportunity to correct them, and if the nuisance is not abated, provides a second notice and a hearing before the City abates. The cost of abatement plus administrative and lien-processing expenses may be recovered, including by placing a lien on the property. There is no published grass-height inch count, so enforcement turns on whether vegetation is overgrown and creates a health or pest hazard. Contact Code Enforcement through Community Development.