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

Weed and hazardous-vegetation abatement is one of the most actively enforced landscaping rules in unincorporated Riverside County. The Riverside County Fire Department's Hazard Reduction office inspects unimproved and adjacent vacant parcels annually and issues a Notice of Violation and Order to Abate for hazardous weeds, dry grass, dead or decaying plants, brush, and other flammable vegetation. Ordinance 695 establishes the general hazard-abatement framework, and Ordinance 772 (adopted 1997) specifically targets dead or substantially dead orchard or grove trees, vines, crops, smudge pots, and dry grass on abandoned or neglected agricultural land. Under Ordinance 772, on parcels of five acres or less, trees must be cut down and removed or chipped and the remaining ground vegetation disced or mowed across the entire acreage. On parcels larger than five acres, the perimeter must be cleared for a distance of 100 feet, and the interior divided into five-acre blocks each surrounded by a cleared path 40 feet wide. Tree stumps may remain only if no higher than 6 inches above the ground. The County issues written notice and posts the property; the standard compliance deadline is 30 calendar days (10 days in emergencies). These rules complement California PRC 4291, which mandates 100 feet of defensible space around structures in state-responsibility fire-hazard areas.