Butte County, CA Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)
Key Facts
- County Authority
- Butte County Code Ch. 32A (Ord. 3824)
- State Authority - Counties
- Cal. Gov. Code 25845; H&S Code 14875-14922
- State Authority - SRA
- Cal. PRC 4291 (defensible space)
- Cost Recovery
- Special assessment / lien on tax roll (32A-7)
- Agricultural Exemption
- 32A-2(b) (operations 3+ years)
- Adopting Ordinance
- Ord. 3824 (July 23, 2002)
Summary
Butte County abates seasonal weeds, brush, and other flammable vegetation as a public nuisance under County Code Chapter 32A and the state weed-abatement scheme in California Health & Safety Code sections 14875-14922. Most of the County's high-risk foothill area also falls under PRC 4291 defensible-space enforcement by CAL FIRE / Butte County Fire.
14875. As used in this article 'weeds' includes any of the following: (a) Weeds which bear seeds of a downy or wingy nature. (b) Sagebrush, chaparral, and any other brush or weeds which attain such large growth as to become, when dry, a fire menace to adjacent improved property. (c) Weeds which are otherwise noxious or dangerous. (d) Poison oak and poison ivy when the conditions of growth are such as to constitute a menace to the public health. (e) Dry grass, stubble, brush, litter, or other flammable material which endangers the public safety by creating a fire hazard . . . .
Full Breakdown
Butte County's authority to abate weeds, brush, and overgrown vegetation comes from three layered sources. First, California Government Code section 25845 authorizes the board of supervisors, by ordinance, to 'establish a procedure for the abatement of a nuisance,' with owner notice, an opportunity to be heard, cost recovery, and a recordable abatement lien. ' Third, Butte County implements those state grants through County Code Chapter 32A (Property Maintenance and Abatement of Nuisances), which declares as a nuisance anything that 'constitutes a significant detriment to the prevention or suppression of fire' (32A-2(a)(1)) and provides the notice, hearing, abatement, and lien procedure.
In the State Responsibility Area - the bulk of foothill/mountain Butte County - CAL FIRE / Butte County Fire separately enforces PRC 4291 defensible-space standards, with annual inspections.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 32A notice and hearing procedure: written notice citing the violation, hearing before a Hearing Officer, and order to abate. If the owner fails to abate, the County abates and recovers costs as a special assessment / lien against the parcel collected on the property-tax roll (sections 32A-5 through 32A-7). PRC 4291 infractions in the SRA: $100-$500 first offense, up to $500 for a second within 5 years, up to $1,000 for a third within 5 years. Summary abatement is available where the condition is an immediate threat to public health or safety (Gov. Code 25845(a)).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the County come onto my property to inspect or mow?
Is there a deadline each year to clear weeds?
Sources & Official References
- [1]Butte County Code Chapter 32A (Property Maintenance & Nuisance Abatement) PDF
- [2]Butte County Code Enforcement page
- [3]California Health & Safety Code section 14875 (Weed definition)
- [4]California Health & Safety Code section 14930 (County weed-removal authority)
- [5]California Government Code section 25845 (County nuisance abatement)
Other rules in Butte County
How Butte County compares: Cities with the Strictest Weed and Property Maintenance Rules·California rules heatmap·Compare Butte County to another location·View the California landscaping rules overview
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