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

Alpine County treats weeds and dry vegetation as wildfire fuel rather than as a cosmetic nuisance. Code Chapter 8.20 (Fire Restrictions and Fuels Reduction, Ord. 727, 2018), Article III, declares that fuels accumulating on lots in violation of the chapter are a public nuisance the owner must abate at their own expense (8.20.080). Section 8.20.090 requires owners of land with a building adjoining mountainous, forest-, brush-, or grass-covered land to maintain defensible space per PRC 4291. A distinctive feature is Section 8.20.100, which 'bridges the gap' in state PRC 4290-4291 by reaching adjacent vacant lots: where an occupied lot cannot achieve 100 feet of defensible space without encroaching on a neighbor, and the adjacent lot is in a Very High or High Fire Hazard Severity Zone with fuels within 100 feet of the structure, the adjacent owner may be required to reduce those fuels to the Board of Forestry's General Guidelines for Creating Defensible Space (adopted Feb. 8, 2006). The process is complaint-driven: the fire inspection official inspects, seeks voluntary compliance, then may issue an order; non-compliance within 45 days is referred to the sheriff and ultimately the district attorney. Fuels reduction must be completed by May 1st (below 6,200 ft) or June 1st (higher) each year (8.20.100(C)(2)).