Cupertino, CA Landscaping Rules: Weed Ordinances (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- Chapter 9.08, Weed Abatement
- Applies to
- Lots, premises, abutting street/alley
- Minimum maintenance standard
- Two discings per year plus spraying
- Abatement performed by
- County Agricultural Commissioner
- Unpaid cost becomes
- Special assessment lien on tax roll
- Notice deadline before hearing
- At least 10 days
Summary
Cupertino Municipal Code Sec. 9.08.010 bars any owner, agent or lessee from letting weeds stand on a building, lot or premises, or on the abutting half of any adjoining street or alley. It targets heavy-seeding weeds, grasses that grow large enough to threaten fire to adjacent improved property, noxious weeds, poison oak and ivy, and combustible garden refuse.
No owner, agent or lessee or other person occupying or having charge or control of any building, lot or premises within the City shall permit weeds to remain upon the premises or public sidewalks or streets or alleys between the premises and the center of the line of any public street or alley. “Weeds,” as used in this chapter, means all weeds growing upon streets, alleys, sidewalks, or private property in the City and includes any of the following: Weeds which bear or may bear seeds of a downy or wingy nature; Weeds and indigenous grasses which may attain such large growth as to become a fire menace to adjacent improved property; Weeds which are otherwise noxious or dangerous; Poison oak and poison ivy when the conditions of growth are such as to constitute a menace to the public health; Accumulations of garden refuse, cuttings, and other combustible trash. Every property owner shall remove or destroy such weeds on his property and in the abutting half of any street or alley between the lots lines as extended. Two discings per year shall be considered a minimum standard, plus chemical spraying as required.
Full Breakdown
010 defines regulated weeds functionally and requires every owner to remove or destroy them on their lot and in the abutting half of any street or alley, treating two discings per year plus chemical spraying as required as the minimum maintenance standard. Enforcement runs through a formal county-partnered abatement process rather than a simple citation. 030. 040 requires that notice be mailed at least ten days before any hearing. 050 hearing the Council rules on owner objections, after which it acquires jurisdiction to order abatement. 060 lets the Commissioner cut, disc or chemically spray the weeds, though an owner may still remove them personally before crews arrive. 080.
Violations & Fines
If an owner does not self-abate before the Commissioner acts, Section 9.08.090 confirms the abatement cost as a special assessment lien against the parcel. Section 9.08.100 then has the County Agricultural Commissioner enter that amount on the tax roll, where it is collected with general property taxes and carries the same penalties, interest and delinquency-sale exposure as unpaid taxes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Cupertino set a maximum weed or grass height?
Who removes the weeds if I do not?
What happens if I never pay the abatement bill?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cupertino
How Cupertino compares: Cities with the Strictest Weed and Property Maintenance Rules·California rules heatmap·Compare Cupertino to another location·View the California landscaping rules overview
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Weed Ordinances in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Santa Clara County handle weed ordinances.