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

Per Kern County Ordinance Code Chapter 8.46 (Weeds and Other Hazardous Growths) under Title 8 (Health and Safety), all properties within unincorporated Kern County are subject to the weed and hazardous growth abatement program. The Fire Hazard Reduction Program (FHRP) is administered as a joint effort between the Kern County Fire Department (KCFD), Cal Fire, Kern County Code Enforcement, and property owners. Property owners must keep their properties clear of fire hazards or nuisance vegetation year-round, with full clearance completed by June 1 each year. Cited conditions include: failure to provide 30 ft. of structure clearance, failure to provide 100 ft. of fuel reduction, failure to remove dead limbs adjacent to structures, failure to clear combustible roof vegetation, failure to provide 10 ft. clearance around LPG/fuel tanks, failure to limb non-ornamental trees to 6 ft. from the ground, and excessive accumulation of fuel deemed a fire hazard. Section 8.46.110 (Abatement cost — Collection) authorizes the county to recover abatement costs against the property as a special assessment. Outside Kern County code, California Government Code § 25845 also authorizes counties to summarily abate fire hazards on private property.