Cathedral City, CA Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)

Section 13.80.035 of the Cathedral City Municipal Code applies to any person owning, leasing, occupying or having charge or possession of premises in the city. The condition it prohibits is overgrown weeds present on any front and visible side yards and sidewalks. The section attaches no measured height: it prints no number of inches or feet, and the standard is the word overgrown, which a code compliance officer applies on inspection.

Two neighboring sections shape how this works in Cathedral City. Section 13.80.030 makes it a nuisance to maintain front and visible side yards without acceptable landscaping, except for improved surfaces such as walks and driveways. Acceptable landscaping includes any ground cover, decorative rock, redwood bark, lawn or other material the city planner or designee determines to be acceptable or required, so a yard can be cited for lacking landscaping even when no weeds are growing. Section 13.80.225 uses the same council-resolution route for rubbish, refuse and dirt on parkways, sidewalks or private property.

For a specific parcel, § 13.80.220 lets the City Council declare by resolution, under California Government Code Section 39561 et seq., that a public nuisance exists when the parcel is maintained in a manner that has resulted in weeds, as defined in Government Code Section 39561.5, growing upon the streets, sidewalks or private property in the city. The council can then start an abatement action, pursue all other remedies against the violator, seek penalties and recover all costs.

On the ordinary Title 13 path, the officer issues a notice of public nuisance and order to abate that states the deadline for correction (§§ 13.90.010, 13.90.020). The recipient has ten calendar days from completed service to file a written appeal with the city clerk (§ 13.90.120). If the city does the clearing, the owner of record is liable for the costs, including administrative costs (§ 13.120.010).