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

Kings County's weed-abatement program is in Chapter 10 (Fire Prevention and Protection), Article II, 'Abatement of Weeds and Flammable Waste Materials,' adopted by Ordinance No. 417 (1982) and amended by Ordinance No. 472 (1988). Sec. 10-35 makes it unlawful for any owner or person in control of real property in the unincorporated area to 'deposit, keep, accumulate or maintain ... any flammable waste material in such a manner as to constitute a fire hazard to property in proximity thereto.' Sec. 10-37 defines flammable waste material to include 'dry grass, weeds, stubble, brush, rank growths, wood, leaves, wastepaper, boxes, shavings, rubbish, litter and other combustible substances,' while expressly excluding vegetation on grain, grazing, or forest land. Sec. 10-36 extends 'real property' to adjacent sidewalks, parking strips, and alleyways out to the center of the right-of-way, so owners are responsible for the strip fronting their parcel. When the County Fire Chief finds a hazard (Sec. 10-38), written notice to remove is given. This is distinct from the broader nuisance-vegetation rule in Sec. 14-36(6), and from California's PRC 4291 defensible-space mandate that applies in State Responsibility Areas.