Canyon County, ID Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Canyon County Code § 02-01-05 defines a public nuisance to include the growth of weeds, grasses, bushes, shrubs and trees left to a size or condition that creates a fire hazard from their dried and unkept state, or a traffic and safety hazard because they obstruct sight at intersections, driveways, lanes or highways, measured against the standards in Idaho Code section 49-221. Overgrown vegetation that shelters rodents and vermin, or blocks a neighbor's comfortable use of adjacent property, is also a nuisance under the same section.

Section 02-01-07 makes maintaining such a condition unlawful for any owner, renter, lessee, occupant or manager, and presumes the owner of record responsible when the property sits vacant or abandoned. The Canyon County Sheriff and designated Code Enforcement Officers administer and enforce the article. Under the civil procedure at § 02-01-09, an officer who finds a violation must issue a written request for voluntary compliance identifying the street address and parcel number, giving the owner ten calendar days to trim or clear the hazard. If the hazard remains, the officer issues a written order of abatement; the owner has seven calendar days to appeal to the Board of County Commissioners, and five more days to comply if the Board affirms the order.

If nothing is done, the County may abate the nuisance itself and bill the cost as a service fee, secured by an automatic lien recorded within seventy two hours and, if unpaid after thirty days, certified onto the property tax roll. None of this reaches property inside Caldwell, Nampa, Middleton or the county's other incorporated cities, each of which enforces its own nuisance code.