Yuba County, CA Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Weed abatement in unincorporated Yuba County runs through the County's Property Maintenance Ordinance in Title VII, Chapter 7.36. Section 7.36.310 lists conditions that create a public nuisance, including conditions in violation of the weed and rubbish abatement laws in the California Government Code (Section 39500 et seq. and Section 39560 et seq.). Those state provisions authorize local government to declare weeds and combustible debris a nuisance, notify owners, hold a hearing, and abate the vegetation, charging the cost to the property if the owner does not act. The ordinance generally targets dry grass, weeds and rubbish that create a fire hazard, harbor vermin, or otherwise threaten health and safety, rather than ordinary landscaping. Layered on top of the County's program is the state defensible-space requirement in Public Resources Code Section 4291: structures in the State Responsibility Area, which includes much of Yuba County's foothill terrain, must maintain 100 feet of defensible space, with an ember-resistant zone within 5 feet and intensified fuel reduction between 5 and 30 feet. CAL FIRE enforces that clearance, while County Code Enforcement handles general nuisance weed cases.